In her first varsity start, Kutztown freshman Jayden Gehris stepped into the batter’s box looking to generate some offense.
The Cougars were knotted in a scoreless tie with Hamburg in the fifth inning Monday, with both teams still undefeated in Berks Softball League play.
In a big spot for a young player, Gehris didn’t flinch.
The second baseman smacked a double into the gap, allowing shortstop Brianna Bauscher to score and give Kutztown the lead. Gehris later scored on a wild pitch, which proved to be the decisive run in the 2-1 victory over the Hawks in a Berks III-IV game at Hamburg.
“I just hoped for the best,” Gehris said. “I just choked up (on the bat), hoped for the best and hit the ball like I knew I could.”
“It’s a good team win for us today,” Cougars coach Kevin Conrad said. “We just have confidence in everybody that we bring in.”
Gehris finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a run. She was the only Kutztown player with multiple hits, none bigger than her double in the fifth.
“It felt really good,” Gehris said. “It felt awesome.”
The Cougars (12-0 Berks IV, 16-3), who already had clinched the Berks IV title, won their 14th straight and will finish the regular season as the only team unbeaten in league play. The Hawks (10-1 Berks III, 17-3) had their 11-game winning streak snapped.
“That was a playoff win,” Conrad said. “That’s a playoff-caliber team over there.”
Senior pitcher MaKayla Drey was strong for Kutztown, tossing 6 ⅓ innings and earning the win. She allowed one run — a solo homer to right fielder Kylah Reading in the sixth inning — and struck out two.
“She really gutted it out today,” Conrad said about Drey. “Heck of an effort out there.”
Drey was relieved by Bauscher, who recorded the final two outs to earn the save.
“I have confidence in her,” Conrad said about Bauscher. “She has confidence in herself.”
The Drey-Bauscher combination allowed the Hawks, the Berks III champions, to scratch out just three hits and two walks. Hamburg leads the county with 197 runs scored this season.
“We hit the ball, but we hit it right at somebody today,” Hawks coach Zena Lutz said. “It was a good game to get ready for playoffs.”
The Cougars weren’t able to get much offense going either, as Hamburg starter Hailey Strunk allowed just five hits in seven innings. She struck out seven.
“I thought she did a nice job,” Lutz said. “She had a strong game in the circle. We got to support her with some runs.”
With just a few days remaining the regular season, Monday’s matchup of division champions provided a taste of what’s to come in the playoffs for both teams. The BCIAA playoffs start with quarterfinals Saturday.
“It was a big game,” Gehris said. “It will make us believe that we could win any game if we put our minds to it.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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