By Pete Chiodo
May 7, 2008
May 06, 2008 11:36 pm
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COCHRANTON — Cambridge Springs pitcher Stephanie Baer made history on Tuesday. And she did it with a little help from her friends.
Baer broke the Cambridge Springs record for career pitching wins, notching victory No. 66 with yesterday’s 3-0 verdict over Cochranton. And while Baer fired her usual gem, it was the Blue Devils defense which made a handful of highlight reel-worthy grabs that helped Baer finish off her landmark ‘W’.
“I had no idea (about the record) until coach brought it up after the game,” said Baer, who seemed more eager to talk about the game the defense had behind her.
“Our defense definitely stepped it up out there,” she said. “The outfielders made some catches that normally they might not have made. We even had an outfielder make a play at second base. You don’t see that very often.”
Bear’s 66th win surpasses 1994 Cambridge graduate and Spa Hall of Famer Meghan Kutz. Kutz’s father, John, is currently the pitching coach at Cambridge Springs and played a big role in helping Baer break that record.
“There’s been a lot of good pitchers to come out of Cambridge Springs,” said Cambridge Springs coach Mark McKissock, “and one of the things that’s led to that is John Kutz. He gets these girls on the mound and gets them working.”
Of course, there is something to be said for Baer herself, who will be pitching for Allegheny College next season. The veteran righty has been lights-out all year. And yesterday against the Cardinals she allowed four hits, no runs, no walks and fanned six.
“Steph,” said McKissock; “it’s really nice to go into a game and know that Steph is pitching for you.”
Baer also had two base hits yesterday. She led off the first with a single, stole second, and scored on a single by Elizabeth Dine.
Following Dine’s hit, Annie Wilson laid down a bunt. The throw to first skipped into right field allowing both Dine and the fleet-footed Wilson to come around and score, putting the Devils up 3-0.
Yet, that would be it for offense for both teams.
In the top of the second, Baer singled and Dine got a two-base hit that never left the infield.
Dine hit the ball right back to Cochranton pitcher Sarah Jacobs. The ball ricocheted hard off Jacobs’ leg. The pitcher went down, meanwhile Baer made it to third and Dine reached second.
Jacobs left the game, but according to Cochranton coach Mark McGuire, “She’ll be fine. It’s just a bruise.”
The Cardinals brought Gretchen Herzberger in from right field. Herzberger got out of the inning, and then zipped through the next five innings with a terrific relief performance.
“Awesome,” McGuire said about Herzberger. “That was huge.”
Herzberger allowed no hits, no runs, walked one and fanned six the rest of the way.
Still, the Cardinals couldn’t back it up offensively, getting just four hits including two from Kristen Woge.
That was due to Baer and, once again, the Cambridge Springs defense.
For example, in the bottom of the second, Cochranton had a runner on base when Karen Hovis knocked a would-be single into center field. However, Wilson, in center, scooped up the ball and threw to second in time to get the force play and get the Devils out of the inning.
In the fifth inning, Cambridge scored all three outs by getting the glove on a well-hit line drive. Second baseman Jess Schaefer had a nice grab, left fielder Rachael Payer brought down a hard-hit ball, and short stop Kristen Humes finished the inning with perhaps the most difficult catch of the night.
“Humes caught a tough line drive at second,” said McKissock. “That ball had a tail on it.
“There were a lot of good plays out in the field. It was, by far, the best defensive game we’ve played all year. If we didn’t make some of those plays, we could have been in trouble.”
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