'Why show them all of our cards?' Saint Joseph doesn't pitch Zache against Penn; Kingsmen win
MISHAWAKA — Earl Keith knew what he was going to do with his star softball pitcher as early as December.
Fool Keith once, shame on you. Fool Keith twice — well, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Or at least do everything he can to prevent it.
After seeing Berkley Zache shutdown Penn in the regular season last year — only to lose to the Kingsmen in a Class 4A regional championship game a month later — the South Bend Saint Joseph coach decided not to pitch his star junior Monday when the Huskies faced Penn in a battle of top-10 ranked teams.
It helped the Kingsmen remain unbeaten in Northern Indiana Conference play, winning, 8-2, in front of a jam-packed crowd on the Penn campus.
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“Our chances of seeing (Penn) a second time are average at least, and we didn’t want to show her twice,” said Keith of not pitching Zache. “We did that last year, and it cost us in the regional. … This is a decision I was thinking about in late December, right around Christmas. Why show them all of our cards?”
Penn coach Beth Zachary was not surprised by Keith’s decision.
“We were disappointed because we want to see good competition,” Zachary said. “That’s just the type of kids I have. They want to play the best.”
Zache has transformed into one of the nation’s top high school pitchers, having already committed to play at powerhouse University of Oklahoma. In nine starts so far this season, she’s 8-0 with 145 strikeouts in 59 innings worked. She’s allowed two runs, neither of which were earned, giving her a spotless ERA.
Last season, Zache pitched a complete game, allowing one unearned run in a 4-1 win over Penn in the regular season. When the regional contest rolled around three weeks later, though, the Kingsmen did a better job of putting the ball in play, which led to a couple Huskie errors in a 3-0 win for Penn. The Kingsmen went onto win the 4A state championship two weekends later.
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Limiting Zache has been intentional by Keith. The star flamethrower did not pitch against either Mishawaka or South Bend Adams this spring, two potential sectional opponents for the Huskies. They lost both of those games.
“We’ve got to win games without (Zache) anyway,” Keith said. “Other than those two games, we’ve done a good job of that.”
Penn capitalizes with no Zache pitching
An already talented Penn lineup showed its chops against Saint Joseph, not striking out once in the six innings they batted in.
It was still a tight game through three innings, with the No. 7 Huskies (17-4, 7-2 NIC) tying it at one on an RBI single from Riley Zache in the third. Three consecutive hits, though, from Peyton Dwigans, Peyton Rudge with Izabella Hanna — sprinkled in with a wild pitch — allowed No. 4 Penn (17-6, 8-0 NIC) to go up, 3-1, in the fourth.
The final dagger in the game came in the fifth, with senior Abigail Widmar cranking a two-run home run over the left-centerfield wall. Widmar finished with four RBI in the game.
“I feel like that (home run) was pretty important,” Widmar said. “It wouldn’t have happened with Ava (Zachary) not being on base and the rest of the offense being as effective.”
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In the absence of Berkley Zache in the pitcher’s circle, junior Olivia Borsodi and freshman Myla Blazejewski had a combined effort. Borsodi went the first four-plus innings, allowing five runs. Blazejewski allowed three runs, but none of them were earned after a couple of Huskies errors in the sixth.
“(Borsodi) did a nice job, but it came to a point where they were seeing her for a third time, and I think that caught up with her,” Keith said. “So, we went to our freshman and got her experience.”
Aubrey Zachary joins elite company at Penn
Penn also deviated from its normal pitching routine Monday, but for good reason.
Senior Aubrey Zachary, who typically starts but doesn’t finish games for the Kingsmen, pitched her first complete game of the season, allowing just two hits, two runs (one earned) and striking out a season-high 13 batters.
This gave her 508 strikeouts for her career, joining 2017 graduate Danielle Watson as the only players in program history to reach that milestone. Watson finished with 878 before having a decorated career at both the University of Louisville and Florida State University.
The fact Zachary reached 500 strikeouts for her career is impressive, given the hip injury she dealt with as a freshman and a broken rib she sustained last season.
“I think it’s the perseverance I’m most proud of, as a coach and a mom,” Beth Zachary said. “… She’s been a good teammate, she’s cheered others on and do everything she can for the team, even if she can’t physically compete. … That builds good character, and that’s something she’s going to have off the field that she’ll have as a quality.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn softball takes advantage of Saint Joseph not pitching Zache
