High School Softball: Karina Shuster dominates as Amherst blanks Elyria

ELYRIA — Karina Shuster shook off the cold and rain Friday to shut down Elyria's young team and pick up a big victory for Amherst. "I clear my mind and have confidence in myself to do well," she said. "I know I have the support of my teammates, as well. They have my back." Shuster, a junior, struck out 16 Pioneers and allowed just two hits on her way to the 10-0 wipeout in Southwestern Conference play. Amherst scored two runs in the first inning after two were out with no one on for all the runs it really needed for Shuster. The Comets scored another with two out and none on in the third to the delight of coach Lacey Reichert. And after adding another run in the fifth, put the game on ice with a six-run sixth inning. "Actually, I thought both pitchers did (well)," said Reichert. "Both pitchers had good control in these conditions. Karina was just dominant. "Karina was fantastic. She got big strikeouts when she needed them. She got in a little jam in the fourth inning (two on, one out) and she got the big strikeouts to get out of it. She pitched really, really well." Reichert was right about both pitchers doing well under less-than-perfect conditions. Elyria's freshman Braylee Beckham pitched better than the final score might indicate. She struck out nine through five innings before the Comets strung together six hits and a couple of walks against Beckham and relief pitcher Karli Niemeyer in the sixth. "We knew coming in, Elyria was a different team," Reichert said. "They're 5-1 for a reason. They have a lot of young kids that are balling right now. We told the girls, there's nobody on our schedule that we can overlook and they know that." Leah Sprague got things going in the top of the first with a double to left and advanced to third on the throw. That followed a great defensive play in right field by Elyria's Kaidyn DeChant, who sprinted near the foul line to track down a drive off the bat of Makenna Dorobek. After a walk and stolen base by Shuster, both runs scored courtesy of Sienna Rebman's single to left. "The first and the third inning, all those runs came with two outs and nobody on," said Reichert. "We got things going and that's the thing in baseball, softball. With two outs, you keep playing. You make them get that third out. We did a great job with that. With two outs, we never thought the inning was over." Rebman tripled in Shuster after another walk in the third with two outs, and drove in one of the runs in the sixth on a bases-loaded hit by pitch. Amherst finished with 10 hits. For Elyria, freshman Camille Dunlap and sophomore JaNaiya Pierce were credited with hits, but coach Keenan Williams knew coming in what Shuster was capable of. "She is probably the best in the conference," said Williams. "Lot of respect for her. She does a really good job with that riseball. It's a tough pitch to hit." Williams was quick to praise his pitcher. "I just gave her props," he said. "I thought she pitched a really good game. She's young and she's growing but she competed and she had a lot of stuff going for her. I thought she pitched a really good game." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or at timothygeb@msn.com.