Lady Vandal notes: Single-game goals being met

Vandalia softball coach Brian Buscher has set five single-game goals for his team to achieve this season, and so far, four of the five are being met every game.

The goals being met are: have fun, hustle, communicate and be a good teammate. The Lady Vandals have failed to commit one error or less in any game.

Buscher, however, said that even though several errors are being committed, he has noticed that the other goals have helped counteract any negativity that could come from the miscues.

“If we make an error, we can still keep them scoreless for an inning,” he said. “It has worked, because we  aren’t carrying over errors to the offensive end. It needs to stay that way, because I know we won’t be perfect defensively.

“We talk about how we have to communicate and be a good teammate (to each other) to overcome adversity,” he said. “If we don’t, we run pole to pole.”

The Vandals have committed 24 errors in 10 games this season.

Scary moment
During the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader with Woodlawn, Cardinals sophomore Christy Barnes tied the game at three with a solo home run.

But while everyone was watching the ball sail over the fence, Barnes was lying near home plate, suffering the pain of a dislocated knee cap.

Barnes was taken from the field by ambulance and, by rule, did not have to run the bases to be credited with the homer, not that Buscher was going to argue about that part of it.

“It didn’t matter, because she hit the home run and deserved it,” Buscher said. “I feel bad for her.”

His first thought was that players were going to have to carry Barnes around the bases, which would have been a scene reminiscent of the 2008 college game between Central Washington and Western Oregon, during which two Central Washington players carried a Western Oregon player around the bases after she was injured running the bases after a home run.

Barnes is expected to miss about four weeks due to the injury.

Driving them in
Senior Alex Henna went on an RBI-terror this past week, driving in three runs against Teutopolis last Thursday, six runs against Carlinville last Friday and another against each Woodlawn and St. Elmo.

On the season, Henna has a team-high 15 RBI. She has secured those on just 15 hits, 10 of which have been for extra bases.

First timers
Sophomore Taylor Well and junior Shelby Foster each hit their first career home runs this past week.

Foster's came on Saturday against Woodlawn, while Well hit hers against St. Elmo on Tuesday.

Vandalia has three home runs on the season, with Henna having the other one.

Also this past week
Vandalia lost to Teutopolis, 12-6, last Thursday.

Thursday, March 29
Teutopolis 12
Vandalia 6
VHS: 1-0-0-1-4-0-0—6
THS: 5-0-1-2-1-3-X—12
LP: Abby Dugan (0-4); 6 IP, 4 K, 6 ER, 12 H, 9 BB
Vandalia: Henna, 3-for-3, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 runs; Well, 1-for-3, 2B, RBI; Bruno, 2-for-4, 2 runs, SB; Britt, 1-for-3, RBI; Sellers, 1-for-4, run, SB; Whightsil, run.
Record: 1-6