WESTFIELD – Two years. Two total losses in those two years. Four players needing to be replaced in between seasons. Zero problem for Kosinski Farms.
Sam Schieppe, Jillian Wroth and Carlan Gideon combined to stymy the Kiwanis Club offense and the No. 1 seed manufactured enough offense to seal their second straight Senior Division softball championship with a tight 4-2 win Monday night.
“Our defense was phenomenal,” said head coach Matt Wroth. “Every player did something to win the game last night. We have 12 players, so when you came off the bench, you had to step up, and they did.”
For a team who was accustomed to winning regular season games by double-digit margins, the bats did just enough to secure the victory. Wroth, Jill McCormick and Elisa Kosinski all provided a much-needed spark with several key hits to provide the offense.
Behind the pitching prowess, the rest of Kosinski Farms’s defense contained a much improved Kiwanis Club offense. With one down and runners on second and third base, catcher Morgan Shia picked off opposing pitcher Madison Murphy off third base for a key second out. Devin Callaghan’s outfield putout halted the impeding Kiwanis rally.
“(Kiwanis Club) was a team that we knew was going to be hard to beat because they were getting better every single game we played them,” said Wroth. “The last game we only beat them by five (runs).
A microcosm of the entire season, the championship game showed that it takes a team effort to produce two straight division titles. Up and down the roster, from the Shia sisters (Morgan, Alexis, Diana) to Mahlia Reyes to Duncan Reed, Kailey King and Michaella Bouchard, a team came together to achieve a season-long goal to improve and win the final game, according to Coaches Wroth, Mike Kosinski and Craig Reed.
“In our defense, we can put any girl in any position,” said Wroth. “We have a great group of girls who want to be there, who are there all the time and who improve every single game.”
