That vibe came to an end Thursday.
Skye Shaw pitched a complete-game shutout with 15 strikeouts — and went 2-for-4 at the plate — to help Goshen beat Badin 7-0 in a Division III tournament contest at Mueller Stadium.
Badin, the second seed, finished at 18-6 and went a perfect 10-0 to become the Greater Catholic League Coed champion for a third straight season.
“I didn’t know where we would be this year with as young as we were,” said Rams coach Greg Stitzel, who earlier this season passed the late Terry Malone as the school’s all-time coaching wins leader.
“I knew we had a lot of talent, but it was such a young talent,” Stitzel added. “I knew maybe we were going to be pressed a little bit — sort of like a stepping stone. That’s how I looked at this year.
“I told people at the beginning of the year that we were going to have growing pains. We did very well for being a young team. We won our league again, and we won some other decent games.”
Goshen, the seventh seed, moved to 12-6 and travels to No. 5 New Richmond on Tuesday. The Lions beat Talawanda 4-0 on Thursday.
“We’ve just been preaching to buying in the whole time — hard work and culture,” Warriors second-year coach Justin McClanahan said. “Obviously, with Skye on the mound, she wants the ball every time she competes out there. She deserves everything that comes to her. She’s an elite pitcher. She puts the work in, but the defense has got her back.
“No matter who’s out there, it’s just really the next person up. We believe, no matter what the score is — get up one, get down one — we grind it out. We treat our team as a family, and good things happen.”
Goshen tacked on four runs in the top of the second thanks to a Badin error, a couple walks and a Shaw two-RBI triple. The Warriors added three more runs in the sixth to extend their lead.
Badin collected hits from Jessie Guiliano, Ella Kent and Phebe Kiefer. The Rams never had a runner advance past second base.
“She was good. She was hitting her spots,” Kuhnash-Westerbeck said of Shaw, a sophomore. “She was throwing that curve and getting us on the rise. We just couldn’t adjust.”
Kuhnash-Westerback said she enjoyed embracing the captain role as the only senior on Badin’s roster and ensured the Rams will be even more competitive next season.
“I wanted to be that leader,” the Wittenberg University commit said. “It sucks that we were a young team. It showed sometimes with what was going on in the field. But with maturity, that is going to come as they get older.
“They are going to have a great next couple of years. They’re going to be pretty good. Each one of them is going to be a year older.”
Ross softball rolls to 10-0 tourney win
Paige Baker pitched a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts to lead Ross to a 10-0 Division III tournament victory.
Meadow Webb went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for the third-seeded Rams (18-6), who will host No. 8 Wilmington in a district semifinal on Tuesday. Mia Michel, Kam Commins, Juilianna Combs and Baker added two hits.
Carlisle softball beats Graham in postseason tournament
Freshman Bre Bruns went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI as Carlisle beat Graham 8-0 in a Division IV tournament contest on Thursday.
Montana Wallace and Allisa Shotwell added two hits for the fifth-seeded Indians (14-13), who travel to No. 2 Benjamin Logan on Tuesday. Grace Holt and Mya Howard combined on a six-hit shutout in the pitcher’s circle.
Lebanon softball coach notches 499th career victory
Lebanon softball coach Brian Kindell secured his 499th career coaching victory Thursday night.
The Warriors beat Fairmont 6-4 for their seventh win in a row. Lebanon (22-4) tied Kings with a 17-1 record as co-champions of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.
Lebanon hosts Sycamore on Monday at 4:40 p.m. in a Division I district semifinal.
Waynesville gets by Eaton for postseason triumph
The seventh-seeded Waynesville Spartans beat Eaton 9-7 in a Division IV tournament contest on Thursday. Waynesville travels to No. 3 Indian Lake on Tuesday.
Talawanda softball suffers postseason loss to New Richmond
The fourth-seeded Talawanda Brave saw their season end with a 4-0 loss to No. 5 New Richmond in a Division III tournament contest on Thursday. Talawanda finished the season 19-8.
Fenwick softball blanked by Clinton-Massie
The ninth-seeded Fenwick Falcons fell to Clinton-Massie 4-0 in a Division IV tournament contest on Thursday. Fenwick finished the season 6-10.
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