Sports
Softball Team's Playoff Run Falls Short
Lady Colts' run in the WPIAL playoffs ends in the quarterfinals
Even with a heartbreaking defeat to Ambridge 3-1 in the Quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs last week, the Chartiers Valley Lady Colts softball team had a successful season and a lot to build on before next year.
The Lady Colts will lose three seniors that made big contributions to the team. Shortstop Lexi Schwartmiller, infielder Katelyn Smith and outfielder Theresa Soknich helped lead the program on and off the field.
"Our seniors were very important to our program," head coach Jeff Macek said. “They all stepped up from the very beginning and made sure we were together as a team, I hope to have the same leadership next year.”
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The Lady Colts finished the season with a 13-4 record, including an eight-game winning streak in the middle of the season, which spurred their run to the playoffs.
While the loss of the three seniors will certainly hurt, the direction of the program is certainly positive as the Lady Colts head toward next season. The Lady Colts will return a large number of big contributors from this year’s squad including junior pitcher Lindsay Reiciff and freshman Libby Chidlow.
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While there were a lot of positives to draw from for the Lady Colts this year, there is one main area where they can improve. After scoring in double figures in three of their first five contests, the Lady Colts failed to reach double figures the rest of the season.
"We have to work on hitting,” Macek said. “We scored a lot of runs at the beginning of the season, but we got a little bit impatient at the plate at the end of the year.”