The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Tight-knit Keystone squad off to fast start
Seniors Shaw and Stefan provide leadership for upcoming talent
What impressed coach Jim Piazza most during Keystone’s 7-5 win over North Canton Hoover last week was that his team never lost its composure when things got bad.
Not even after committing four errors.
Not even after the Vikings scored four runs in the third to take a 5-3 lead. Why? Because these Wildcats know how to switch from fun-loving to serious in the blink of an eye.
So, Keystone did not get frazzled.
Instead, the Wildcats switched into serious mode and retaliated with two runs in the fourth and two more in the seventh to secure the win over Hoover, a Division I power that is a threat to make the final four every year.
“They didn’t show any emotion and the quit which we’ve seen sometimes in the past,” Piazza said. “That was something I was really impressed with, especially being as young as we are and having new people in different positions. I was really impressed the way that they handled that.”
So what did a win like that do for Keystone this early in the season?
“I think it just kind of proved that we’re out there to fight and that we have the talent to beat anyone out there,” junior Brooke Piazza said.
“It showed that even if you’re down, it’s not ever a challenge to get back up with a rally or just some energy,” said senior Lauren
Shaw, who has picked up where she left off in the circle last season with a pair of wins and 23 strikeouts.
Energy hasn’t been a problem for the Wildcats this season, who have raced out to a 5-0 start and outscored their opponents, 50-8. Their team batting average is .424 with an earned run average of 0.90.
Sophomore Sydney Campbell is 3-0 with an 0.82 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .109 off her.
To say the Wildcats are on a mission would be an understatement. Keystone has one goal — to get back to the state finals.
The team was there last year but fell short, losing, 7-4, to Hebron Lakewood in the Division II state championship.
“We’ve been preparing a long time for this season, and I know especially for the seniors this is our last shot of achieving our goal,” said Sammie Stefan, Keystone’s all-time and single-season home run record-holder.
For Shaw, she’s using the loss as a form of motivation.
“This year we want to win because we know what the embarrassment was of losing last year and we don’t want that to happen again this year,” she said. “We’re just using it as a determination to kind of fuel our fire this year.”
So far that fire has spread throughout the entire team, which features so much depth that Piazza feels comfortable penciling anybody into his lineup.
That includes freshman Marlie McNulty and junior Madi Nunez, who are stabilizing the top of the order with 16 hits between them, including two home runs.
“It’s truly a blessing to have so much talent and hardworking kids in such a small community,” Nunez said. “I think we’ve come together more than we have in the past.”
After all, this group is a different group than years past.
“It’s a really tight-knit group of kids,” he said. “I know a lot of people say that, but when I’m watching the way that they get along and how things don’t bother them, I see a big difference.”
“It’s truly a blessing to have so much talent and hardworking kids in such a small community.”
— Madi Nunez