Softball players, coach successful in Germany

by John.O'Donnell staff writer

Three women on the Cabrini softball team visited Germany during the past summer to play in the German Open tournament. Sophomores Erin Brooks and Rita Horning and Junior Megan Johnston were selected to play for USA Team 2000. Also, Cabrini coach Bridget Baxter was chosen to coach the team. The three women were picked for the team by an association called USA Athletes International for their outstanding play last season. The tournament consisted of eleven teams from Germany, three

This team consisted of players from Divisions one and two schools, while Team 2000 consisted of players primarily from Division three schools.

USA Team 2000 won the tournament while posting an 11-0 record. Team 2000 won most of their games by overwhelming margins and defeated the USA Athletes International team 4-3 in the final game."The • United States teams were just a step ahead of the rest," Coach Baxter said. "The competition over there isn't as good as the competition in our league because we have been playing a lot longer. Softball is more evolved over here," Erin Brooks said. teams from the Netherlands and two from the United States. The other team from the United States was called USA Athletes International.

Briget Braxter is not only coordinator of Student Activities, but head softball coach.

Megan Johnston was one of the pitchers on Team 2000 and when she wasn't pitching she was playing the outfield. Over the course of the tournament Johnston put up some impressive numbers. She hit .455 and scored nine runs. Johnston also pitched the championship game in the team's upset win. ''It was kind of funny pitching against the other team from the United States because we had gone all the way over to Germany just to play each other in the finals. It was fun pitching in the big game because we got to play in front of a big crowd," Johnston said.

Erin Brooks also had a great tour- nament. She hit .393, scored 14 runs and knocked in 7. Brooks contributed the game-winning run in the championship game. "I was surprised that we came back to defeat the other U.S. team because we were losing going into the last inning. We came through as a team," Brooks said.

Rita Horning was also a major contributor to the winning team. She put up huge numbers and led her team in most offensive categories. She managed a .538 average with 14 hits, scoring 16 runs and knocking in 12, all in only 26 at bats. ''I was happy with the way we played as a team. We clicked on and off the field. I was also happy with the way I played," Horning said.

Horning also added that she had no trouble adjusting to her new team- mates. She said that some of the girls had trouble at first, but found a rhythm after the third or fourth game.

Baxter feels that the big game experience will enhance the Lady Cavaliers' upcoming PAC season. She said that it should give the players more confidence. She added that the fine performance would help in Cabrini·s recruiting efforts. When asked to describe how her team played in U.S. Team 2000, Coach Baxter replied, "They played awesome; they dominated."

The Lady Cavaliers found some time to do a little sightseeing while in Germany. They visited the cities of Munich, Auchton, and Regensberg, and toured the Olympic village in Munich. All three were impressed by the German architecture. John-