April 11, 2009 – COVINGTON
It was an impressive display of softball on Saturday for the Covington Lady Buccs as they shut out Russia in back-to-back games, 5-0 and 11-0, to improve to 7-0 on the season.

"Our attitudes are outstanding," said Denlinger. "The kids understand their roles and how their roles change as the game goes on. That's why we are having success right now."

With just fourteen players in uniform, playing as a team and doing what's in the best interest of the team is essential to winning.

"We don't have a lot of kids, so we have kids playing everywhere," Denlinger explained. "The kids do what we ask without question and that's important in what we are trying to accomplish. They are very unselfish."

Covington opened up the day with a 5-0 win in the first game thanks to a two-run second inning and a three-run fifth inning.

Kristen Boggs recorded two RBI on a two-for-three effort with a double, while Sarah Westfall was two-for-two with a double and an RBI.

Hannah Pond executed small ball to perfection as she had two RBI without recording a hit.

"That's what I'm taking about when I say the kids are understanding their roles," explained Denlinger. "That's a freshman doing what we ask and making something happen. Those two runs were big."

Chloe Shell was stellar on the mound as she pitched six innings and only allowed two hits, while striking out nine batters.

Kristen Boggs picked up the save as she pitched the seventh inning and struck out two batters.

But it was Boggs' bat that made the difference in the second game of the double-header as the senior went three-for-three with a solo home rum, a grand slam, a double and seven RBI.

"Kristen is hitting the snot out of the ball right now," said Denlinger. "You can't have a better day than she had at the plate."

The first home run by Boggs came in the second inning after Covington already built a 2-0- lead in the first inning. And it landed on top of the batting cage in left field.

"That was a shot, but the second one was even better," Denlinger explained.

Which came in the fourth inning with the bases loaded as Boggs took the second pitch and drilled it directly over the center field fence with plenty of distance to spare.

"She really got a hold of that one," continued Denlinger. "There was no doubt it was gone when it left her bat."

The long balls by Boggs may have overshadowed the efforts of others, but not in the mind of Denlinger.

"Michelle Leistner, Katie Dickey, Carol Bayse and Haley Smith also swing the bats well," he said.

Leistner was one-for-one, but reached base all three times she came to the plate as she recorded two walks.

Dickey was two-for-three, while Bayse was two-for-two with one RBI.

And Haley Smith, who continues to shine as a freshman, went one-for-three with a double.

It all led to an 11-0 win in five innings as the run rule came into effect.

"We came to bat ten inning in the two games and got 18 hits and 16 runs," Denlinger explained. "That's not too shabby."

What was also not too shabby was the defensive effort as Covington didn't commit a single error in the two games.

"I'll tell you this, our outfield is playing really well," Denlinger praised. "Katie Dickey is getting a great jump of the ball and making some outstanding plays. I'm very pleased with how well we are playing out there."

Halley Roberts followed Shell's effort on the mound in the first game with a one-hitter in the second game.

The junior struck out eight and walked three.

"The three walks she had came pretty early in the game because she struggled finding her location," Denlinger explained. "But once she was able to find her spots, she pitched well."

At 7-0, Denlinger still sees areas for his team to improve.

"No doubt, we need to continue to improve," he emphasized. "We have to improve in a lot of areas, especially at the plate."

But with the attitude Covington has right now, Denlinger knows the improvement will come.

"The girls take everything in stride and are focused on what we are trying to accomplish," he said. "They know we're not where we want to be yet and their attitudes reflect that."

Which is why Denlinger attributes the success to the attitude of the team.

GAME ONE SCORING:
Russia ...............0...0...0...0...0...0...0 - 0 - 2- - 3
Covington .........0...2...0...0...3...0...- - 5 - 9 - 0

GAME TWO SCORING:
Russia ................0...0...0...0...0 - 0 - 1 - 0
Covington ..........2...1...2...6...- - 11 - 9 - 0