Horizon League Softball Release #8
March 31, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Wright State senior outfielder Jherica Williams was selected Horizon League Softball Player of the Week for the second time this season and UIC junior right-hander Sarah Clynes was named Pitcher of the Week for the first time in 2008. Williams posted a .542 batting average in seven games this past week while Clynes collected two League road victories against Butler this past weekend.
Horizon League Player of the Week
Jherica Williams, Wright State
Sr. * OF * Piqua, Ohio
Williams collected her second Player of the Week award this season after she helped the Raiders to a 4-3 record this past week. In seven games, the WSU senior batted .542 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs and drove in 13 runs. In the Raiders' three League games against Cleveland State over the weekend, Williams went 5-for-10 with four RBI and three runs scored.
Horizon League Pitcher of the Week
Sarah Clynes, UIC
Jr. * RHP * Florissant, Mo.
Clynes picked up her first Pitcher of the Week award this season after she allowed zero earned runs in two League victories over Butler this past weekend. Clynes fanned 12 batters in 14.0 innings pitched and totaled six strikeouts. On Saturday against BU, she allowed just three hits in a 4-0 victory before tossing a two-hitter with six strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work on Sunday.
Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 30
Amy Hyerczyk, Butler
Sr. * 1B * Palos Park, Ill.
Hyerczyk batted .364 on the week with eight hits in 22 trips to the plate. She had three hits and drove in two runs in Butler's 4-3 extra inning victory at Ball State, and then she had two hits and scored two runs in the Bulldogs' 7-4 win over UIC. She had a .417 on-base percentage for the seven games during the week. Hyerczyk also posted a team-high 44 putouts and added 10 assists for the week.
Christa Coppus, Cleveland State
Jr. * SS * Tiffin, Ohio
Coppus went 4-for-10 (.400) with a walk, 2 runs, one RBI and a double in the three games against WSU over the weekend. She had one error in 11 chances (.909), owning a .455 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.
Amy Solava, Loyola
So. * RHP * New Lenox, Ill.
Solava went 2-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10.0 innings pitched in a pair of appearances last week. The right-hander tossed a pair of one-hitters in victories over Youngstown State. Solava fanned eight and allowed one hit and one earned run in a 9-1 victory on March 29, then fanned six and yielded only one hit and one walk in a 10-0 victory on March 30. Solava has won four of her last five decisions and has posted shutouts in three of her last five starts.
Andrea Zappia, Valparaiso
Sr. * RHP * Indianapolis, Ind.
Zappia kicked off the week with two-hit shutout of Ball State on Monday, striking out nine over eight innings. The Valpo right-hander registered saves in both halves of doubleheader sweep over NIU, giving her 17 career saves, tied for sixth-most in NCAA history. Zappia then finished out the week by starting both halves of the doubleheader sweep of Detroit on Saturday going eight innings and striking out 15 batters to earn two wins.
Sharon Palma, Wright State
So. * LHP * Grand Rapids, Mich.
In five games this past week, Palma went 3-2, struck out 23 batters and threw four complete games. The WSU lefty began the week against Rio Grande on Tuesday and struck out four in three innings. She then threw a complete-game four-hit shutout against Ohio Wednesday. Palma then finished out the week by going 1-2 against Cleveland State over the weekend, including a one-hit shutout in the series finale on Sunday.
Bethany Hafley, Youngstown State
Sr. * OF * Canton, Ohio
Hafley batted .385 in five games last week. She was instrumental in the Guins' lone win over Akron, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three runs batted in. She also scored twice and drove in another run in an 8-7 loss to the Zips. In YSU's 9-1 loss to Loyola, Hafley belted her first career home run and collected two of the Penguins five total hits on the weekend. Hafley also posted a .769 slugging percentage.
Butler
The Bulldogs (11-13 overall, 2-3 Horizon League) played seven games last week and posted a mark of 2-5.
BU opened the week by splitting a doubleheader with Ball State. The Bulldogs lost in game one 6-2, but rebounded in game two with a 4-3 triumph. Butler would then go on to drop a pair of games to Purdue on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs then closed out the week by dropping two of three to UIC.
Senior outfielder Jenny Jacobs, who missed 18 games with an injury, returned to Butler's lineup against UIC and immediately delivered a game-winning three-run home run against the Flames. It was her first home run of the season and boosted her Butler career home run record to 23.
Sophomore right-hander Kristen Malinkey picked up her fourth win of the season with a complete-game victory over UIC. She had just one victory for the Bulldogs last year.
The Bulldogs, who hit just three home runs in the first 17 games this season, clubbed four home runs last week, including two by junior shortstop Alex Boros.
Butler returns to action with a doubleheader on Tuesday as it welcomes IPFW. BU will then travel to Bellarmine on April 2 for a doubleheader before opening a three-game series with Cleveland State on Saturday.
Cleveland State
The Vikings (12-6 overall, 2-1 Horizon League) claimed a 2-1 series victory over Wright State this past weekend in Dayton, Ohio.
The series was originally scheduled to be played in Cleveland, but poor weather conditions forced the game to Wright State.
Junior catcher Haley Keller's two-run double in the nigthcap of Saturday's doubleheader proved to be the game-winning hit for CSU, allowing the Vikings to claim both games by identical 4-3 scores.
CSU trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh in both games, but were able to come back in both contests. CSU has won four games this year in its final at-bat and come from behind five times to win games.
Sophomore pitcher Amanda Macenko has struck out 32 batters while allowing just one walk in her last four starts. For the year, Macenko has struck out 105 and walked just 11 in 92.1 innings. Last year, she had 153 punchouts and 22 walks in 227.1 innings.
Senior outfielder Whitney Willard stole a pair of bases over the weekend, giving her a team-high seven this year (in nine attempts). She was 27-for-31 last year and now has 61 career steals.
This week, CSU will play host to Oakland in a doubleheader on Tuesday. The Vikings will then travel to Robert Morris for a doubleheader on Thursday before returning home on Saturday to open a three-game series with Butler.
Detroit
The Titans (6-13 overall, 1-3 Horizon League) captured the series finale against Valparaiso on Sunday (7-4) after losing 10-0 (game one) and 3-2 (game two).
UDM was scheduled to faceoff against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, but the game was canceled due to poor weather conditions.
Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak with its victory over Valparaiso on Sunday.
The Titans scored four runs in the first inning, but the Crusaders responded by tallying one run in the third and three in the fourth inning to draw even. UDM responded in the bottom half of the inning as junior outfielder Jacqueline Nortman drove sophomore infielder Jessica Liebner to put Detroit back on top, 5-4.
Seven Titans collected hits at the plate, including two each from Nortman and freshman catcher Breana Sesoko.
Sophomore left-hander Jill Perry pitched the final three innings to earn the win and improve to 2-4 on the year.
Detroit returns to action on Tuesday as it travels to Central Michigan. The Titans will then resume play on Thursday with a doubleheader against Youngstown State.
Green Bay
The Phoenix (6-10 overall, 0-0 Horizon League) were idle last week.
Green Bay was scheduled to open League play against Valparaiso on March 22-23, but the series was canceled due to poor weather conditions.
Each of Green Bay's last five losses has been by just one run.
Four of Green Bay's last five scheduled games have been canceled due to weather.
The Phoenix will begin League play on Wednesday with a doubleheader against UIC.
Green Bay will then close out the week with a three-game series against Wright State beginning on Saturday.
Loyola
The Ramblers (9-12 overall, 4-1 Horizon League) went 3-1 this past week.
Loyola opened its home slate on Wednesday, but lost 5-4 to Bradley. LU then had its doubleheader with Illinois on Thursday washed out. Loyola then closed out the week with a sweep against Youngstown State as it outscored YSU 25-2 this past weekend.
The Ramblers batted a collective .376 (35 for 93) and clubbed five home runs in four home games.
Loyola has won four of its last five contests and is off to a 4-1 start in League play.Loyola has won 20 of its last 27 regular-season League outings.
In 37 games a year ago, sophomore third baseman Angie Funston had 10 hits and 10 RBI. In 21 contests this season, Funston has already totaled 21 hits and 19 RBI.
Loyola faces 2007 Women's College World Series participant Northwestern on Thursday. A year ago, the Ramblers posted a 3-2 victory over the then-No. 7 Wildcats for the first-ever victory over a top-10 team.
The Ramblers close out the week with a three-game series against Valparaiso.
UIC
The Flames (11-21 overall, 2-1 Horizon League) opened its home schedule on Tuesday, but dropped a pair of games to Illinois (17-5 game one; 11-2 game two). UIC rebounded by taking two of three games from Butler over the weekend.
Against Butler, junior right-hander Sarah Clynes tossed a pair of shutouts allowing just five hits.
Clynes also posted a .333 batting average with two home runs and three RBI. Her two round-trippers came in the top of the first inning.
As a team offensively, the Flames had three players bat over .300.
Senior outfielder Ashlee Ackerman was 4-for-9 (.444) with two runs, one double and two RBI in three games.
Valparaiso
The Crusaders (17-9 overall, 2-1 Horizon League) went 6-3 last week to finish out the month of March.
Valpo opened the week with a split against Ball State on Monday (won 1-0 game one; lost 4-3 in game two).
The Crusaders then went on to a pair of victories against Northern Illinois (5-2 game one; 5-1 game two) on Tuesday before posting a split on at Central Michigan on Wednesday.
Valpo then closed out week by taking two of three games from Detroit at home in a series that had originally been scheduled to be played in Detroit.
Senior catcher Shannon Robinson led the Crusaders at the plate on the week, hitting .379 with six runs scored.
Junior outfielder Karen Korb tallied 11 hits on the week, hitting .367, including her first two career triples. Korb was also 5-for-5 in stolen bases on the week, making her 18-for-18 on the season in the category.
Valpo stole 22 bases on the week on just 24 attempts, and has been successful 68 out of 78 tries this year.
Head coach Randy Schneider is just one win shy of 100 at Valpo and 200 overall.
Valparaiso returns to action on Thursday against DePaul and then opens a three-game series versus Loyola at home.
Wright State
The Wright State offense hit 11 home runs and scored 49 runs in seven home games this past weekend.
Jamie Perkins accounted for three of those round trippers and drove in nine while Jherica Williams hit two home runs and knocked in 13. Jacqueline Macy and Kristen Bradshaw also smacked two home runs for the week.
With those 13 RBI last week, Williams raised her RBI total for the year to 33, which is just two shy of the school record for RBI in a season. Michelle Demmitt holds the record with 35 in 1999.
With those 11 home runs last week, Wright State now has 28 as a team in 27 games, eclipsing the previous record for home runs in a season of 25, set by the 1999 squad. The Raiders hit 22 all of last season in 60 games.
In the circle, sophomore pitcher Sharon Palma picked up three of the four wins last week, giving up just two earned runs and eight runs overall in 28.1 innings of work. She also recorded 23 strikeouts on the week, including 10 in the series opener with Cleveland State.
Wright State hosts Ball State Wednesday in its final non-League home action of the season before welcoming in Green Bay for a weekend series on Saturday.
Youngstown State
The Penguins (2-14 overall, 0-3 Horizon League) went 1-4 last week. YSU opened the week by splitting a doubleheader with Akron (won 8-0 in game one; lost 8-7 in game two). The Penguins then closed out the week by dropping three straight games to Loyola over the weekend.
Senior utility player McKenzie Bedra extended her career home run record to 26 after she belted a home run in game one against Akron.
Bedra also ranks third place on the YSU all-time RBI list with 95. She also needs nine more to move into second place.
Senior outfielder Jamie Fornal batted .385 (5-for-13) with a double and a home run last week. She hit her first home run of the season against Loyola on Saturday while posting a .692 slugging percentage.
Sophomore Kristin Bair's hitting streak was snapped at eight games. Bair batted .357 last week, going 5-for-14 with a double, triple and a run batted in.
Youngstown State returns to action with a doubleheader against Niagara on Tuesday. The Penguins will then step back into League play with two games against Detroit on Thursday before closing out the week with a three game series versus UIC.
