Lutheran West | 5/19/2012 3:00:00 PM

Mark Fenske | Saturday, May 19, 2012

Columbia -- Lutheran West finished off a difficult and frustrating year with another loss to Columbia, this time 11-1. The loss ends the Lady Longhorn’s season with a record of 4-17, 3-13. While the record was not what anyone was hoping for, the season must be looked at through the lens of a young team experiencing difficult growth in a brutal conference.

One positive note for Lutheran West was that they found a solid second pitcher. When sophomore Emily Mystic went down with a concussion, freshman Aly Silberhorn was thrown into the fire—and a nasty fire at that. After being run-ruled by a bad Oberlin team, Silberhorn won games against Open Door and Brookside before getting blasted by powerhouses Wellington and Black River. Not to be intimidated, Silberhorn brought home a tight win over rival Fairview (a much superior team to LW record wise) and a mercy-rule win over the team that she had originally been smoked by, Oberlin.

Offensively, Lutheran West had seen improvement as well. While it was difficult for Lutheran West to score all year, West did find increased productivity from several players by the end of the year. At the start of the year, it was Mystic or sophomore Maddie Jakabcic. By the end of the year, names like junior Megan Thomas, junior Jessica Mecklenburg, sophomore Carey Smith, and freshman Silberhorn were being mentioned for their offensive feats.

Sure, the team won only four games and only three in conference. For a young team in a conference that boasted the Division II State Champions (Keystone) though, their record does not show the growth that the team saw throughout the year.

Lutheran West
3850 Linden Road
Rocky River, Ohio 44116-4099

Phone: 440.333.1660
Fax: 440.333.1729
Email: info@lutheranwest.com

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.