Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, May 26, 2007
Muth makes right move for Aquinas
Out of all of Jodie Muth’s friends who attended Aquinas High School, Kelly Conway was the most persistent.
Time and again, Conway told Muth she belonged at Aquinas and not Onalaska, where she had spent her first three years of high school.
If Muth transferred, they could be classmates, as they had once been at
St. Patrick’s Grade School in Onalaska. Better yet, they could play softball together for the Blugolds.
Muth was happy she listened to Conway, the Blugolds’ senior pitcher, long before Aquinas’ 4-2 WIAA Division 3 regional final victory Friday over Onalaska Luther at Pammel Creek Fields. The Blugolds’ senior shortstop has been a part of a Mississippi Valley Conference championship team. She’s been a part of a team that’s 19-3 and riding a 14-game winning streak.
Nothing against Onalaska, which was 14-49 in Muth’s three seasons playing with the Hilltoppers, but ...
“It was nice coming to a winning team. I love this team. I felt comfortable here right away,” said Muth, who went 2-for-3 and drove in two of Aquinas’ runs.
“It (the decision to leave Onalaska) was a very, very hard decision. But it’s worked out pretty well.”
Muth believes everything will continue to be all right for the Blugolds on Thursday, even though they must play Lancaster, ranked second by The Fastpitch Chronicle, in a sectional semifinal in Boscobel, Wis.
Aquinas has a solid pitcher in Conway, (13-1, 112 strikeouts, 14 walks), who has won her last nine decisions. But the Blugolds also have a top-notch cleanup hitter in Muth.
The Blugolds took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to Muth’s two-out single to left field that drove in Mary Roop. Muth’s booming two-out double that landed just inside the left-field line in the third drove in Sara Malin. Conway scored in the fifth when Muth reached base on an error.
“You’ve got to cut Jodie a little slack. Here she is, on the spot with a new program. And she’s a senior on top of it,” Aquinas coach Kevin Schreiner said. “She’s worked hard to get better. And I hope she keeps going.”
Kirk Bey can be reached at (608) 791-8414, or at kbey@lacrossetribune.com
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