Bulldog Scoreboard

SPORTS

Softball team takes field
It’s been more than 20 years since Yellow Springs High School fielded a softball team for an entire season, but the drought ends this spring with a full 16-game schedule.
The team includes 20 players, eight more than the group that played three games against Metro Buckeye Conference opponents last spring.
Coach MacKenzie Reynolds said that forming the team was the players’ idea. “Several of the girls know that I teach at the middle school and that I played when I was in high school, and they approached me,” Reynolds said. She said she was impressed by the girls’ interest and enthusiasm, and she quickly agreed to be their coach.
Reynolds played on two teams that competed for state championships when she was in high school in Piqua. She said she hopes to turn her own playing experience into a teaching tool for this year’s squad. “There aren’t really a lot of summer leagues for the girls around here, so we have a lot of people on the team who haven’t played fast pitch before,” Reynolds said.
Bad weather and the YSHS spring break have limited the Lady Bulldogs’ practice time, but the players are anxious to begin the season. “We’ve had to practice inside more than we would like, so we’re still trying to figure some things out,” Reynolds said on Monday after practice in the YSHS gym.
One of the areas that still needs to be figured out is who will play which positions. Reynolds said that she has used the limited outdoor practice time to try different players at different positions. “We’re still getting to know each other, and we’re still looking at who will do well in the different positions,” she said.
One position that had to be determined immediately was pitcher. Because many of the players were unfamiliar with the proper mechanics of hurling fast pitch, MacKenzie said that some of the players with more lively arms have been turned into pitchers. She said that nobody volunteered to be a pitcher, so after a few days she had to tell a number of players “you’re going to pitch.”
So far, Reynolds has named juniors Janell Martin, Heather Wagers and Katie Lovering and freshman Allix North to lead the pitching staff.
Reynolds said it is too early to determine the team’s strengths and weaknesses other than enthusiasm and a lack of experience, respectively. She also said that she has been impressed with the hitting performances of juniors Jessica Trivett and Lilith Claire.
The Lady Bulldogs’ first game, scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, was canceled.

Boys track team starts strong
The YSHS boys track team finished 5th out of 13 teams in frigid weather conditions at the Versailles Invitational Saturday, April 5.
Brent Robinson and Dylan Borchers led the Bulldogs with strong finishes in their individual events. The 4x400-meter relay team also placed first. The Bulldogs competed in the invitational’s White Division, the division for the smallest schools at the meet.
“The kids ran really well under adverse weather conditions,” coach John Gudgel said.
Robinson’s time of 23.6 seconds in the 200-meter sprint was nearly one and a half seconds better than his closest competition, John Barhorst of Russia. “That is definitely the way I wanted to start the season,” Robinson said. “I’m pretty sure that is my best time ever in that event.”
Borchers also turned in a strong performance in his best event, the 800-meter run, finishing in 2:05.3, a hair behind the first place finisher.
David Warren had a strong showing for the Bulldogs in the distance events, placing fourth in the 3200-meter run and sixth in the 1600.
The Bulldog relay teams also had a good showing Saturday. The 4x400-meter team of Robinson, Borchers, Anthony Brandon and Brandon Frye won with a time of 3:43.3. The 4x800 team of Borchers, Warren, Travis Dean and Issa Walker finished third, and the 4x100 team of Robinson, Frye, Brandon and Brad Benning-Clark took fifth.
The field performers also did well in the cold and windy conditions. Jon Bullock and John Pamplin had a solid meet in the discus and shot put events, and Joe Lawhorn and Andrew Richlen turned in solid outings in the long jump.
Last Tuesday, April 1, the boys team tied Cedarville for second place at a tri-meet at London High School. Robinson, Warren, the 4x400 and the 4x800 teams finished with first-place times.

YSHS baseball team falls to 0–2
For the second game in a row the YSHS baseball team was missing several key players who were away on spring break. And for the second game this season, the Bulldogs lost when the 10-run-rule kicked in, last Thursday, April 3.
This time the ’Dogs lasted six innings, though they played seven, eventually losing 12–2 to Kidron Central Christian, a Northeastern Ohio independent team.
Senior Walt Beer (0–1) pitched the entire game for the Bulldogs, despite not having his best stuff. “My best pitch is my fastball, but it was getting too much of the plate,” Beer said. “And my curveball was nowhere to be found.”
Beer said that the score might have been worse if not for the improved fielding behind him. Part of the fielding effort was led by freshman Aaron Willis, who made what coaches and players called a “really nice running catch in the outfield,” in his first action of the season.
Coach Chris Rainey said that even though the score was lopsided, he was pleased at the improvements his team made both in the field and at the plate. “In the first game we had only two hits, this time out we had four. We also made fewer mistakes in the field,” he said.
Dustin Rudegeair, who was named the 2002 Metro Buckeye Conference Player of the Year, led the Bulldogs with two hits, including a double, and an RBI.

Children’s swim clinic planned
The Mills Lawn Community Enrichment Program will offer a swim clinic, coordinated by David Wishart, 5:30–6:30 p.m., at the Antioch College pool.
Classes will be held Mondays, April 14, 21 and 28, Wednesdays, April 16, 23 and 30, Tuesdays, May 6 and 13; and Thursdays, May 8 and 15.
The swim clinic will focus on stroke development and conditioning. The clinic is open for all children in grades 1–8, but students must be able to swim one length of the pool unassisted (any style) and be comfortable in four-foot water. The class costs $40.
Registration forms are available at Mills Lawn School or from Theresa Mayer, 767-7786.

Youth soccer league spring season to begin
The Yellow Springs Recreational Soccer League — for children in kindergarten through eighth grade — will begin its spring season this Saturday, April 12.
Children who played last fall are on the same teams and should contact their coach about practice and game times. Copper League, for 5-, 6- and 7-year-old children will play behind the Morgan Building from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., on Saturday mornings.
Children who did not play last fall but wish to be placed with a team should call Jim Hardman, 767-2200.

Youth baseball registration
Registration for the Yellow Springs Youth Baseball Program will be held Saturday, April 12, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., at Gaunt Park.
This program is for children from ages 7 to 13. The season starts in late May and ends around July 4.
There is a nominal fee due at registration to pay for shirts and caps: $20 for the first child, $15 for the second and $10 for more.
All who wish to play must register, even if they have played in previous years. New players should bring a glove for a brief evaluation session. Returning players need only register and pay the registration fee.
For more information, call David Turner, 767-7849, or Lee Parks, 767-2349.

Yellow Springs softball leagues now forming
Men’s and co-ed softball leagues are now forming in Yellow Springs, for 12-game seasons. Anyone wishing to play should contact Matt McCormick at 767-1628. The leagues are USSSA sanctioned.