PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Despite having just 12 players on their 2020 roster, La Roche softball shined in the short-lived season. The 2020 Lady Redhawks were off to the programs best start in a decade, starting the season on a five-game win streak and finishing with an overall record of 6-1 (.857), tied for the 29th best winning percentage in D-III and the best in the AMCC. La Roche was picked to finish 9th out of 11 teams in the conference pre-season poll.
As a team, LRU ranked first in the conference in batting average (.345), scoring (7.14 runs/game), fielding percentage (.985), on base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.419) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.58).
When asked about the 2020 Redhawks, head coach Orie Gentile said "I had the opportunity to speak to the team before spring training. I told them that they were a special team. Something on how they acted, how they practiced. They understood that any team we faced we could beat, and there was no team we couldn't out work. Every player bought in to what we were about, and Kayla was a big part of that. I can only imagine how the season would have ended, especially because of how we started. Chapter unknown." Gentile's only team to finish with a better win percentage in his decorated 24-year career at La Roche is the 2000 conference championship team, who finished with an overall record of 27-4 (.871).
Individually, a multitude of Redhawks performed at a high-level. Junior Alexa Young (Altoona, PA/Altoona) and Freshman Carlie Dillon (Davidsville, PA/Conemaugh Twp) split the pitching duties. In 29.1 innings, Young allowed 27 hits and eight earned runs while striking out 30 batters and walking just three. Her strikeout to walk ratio (10.0) ranked 10th in D-III and first in the AMCC. Dillon pitched 18.0 innings, allowing 33 hits and 20 earned runs while striking out 25 batters and walking nine. Her strikeouts per seven innings mark (9.7) ranked first in the conference and 25th in the country.
At the plate, eight Redhawks finished with multiple RBI. Junior 2B Devan Smith (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) led the team with 13 hits (4th in the AMCC) and contributed two doubles and eight RBI (6th in AMCC).Sy In a team-high 25 plate appearances, she never struck out. Junior OF Sydnee DeShong (Cumberland, MD/Allegany) posted a .558 batting average (1st in AMCC, 30th in D-III), recording 10 hits, two doubles, five RBI and no strikeouts. Sophomore 1B Brandi Clyde (Saint Marys, PA/Elk County Catholic) led the Redhawks with nine RBI (T-3rd in AMCC) and three extra base hits (two doubles, one triple).
La Roche's sole senior, 3B Kayla Ordos (Linesville, PA/Conneaut Area), drove in seven RBI on six hits, two of which were doubles. In the Redhawks final game of the season against Cairn, Ordos hit a 2-run single in the bottom of the sixth to lift LRU to a 10-7 victory. She has plans to graduate this spring.
Sophomore catcher/OF Lexi Strasser (Gallitzin, PA/Penn Cambria), who is a part of La Roche's accelerated nursing program, will also be graduating this spring. She was one of three Redhawks to finish with 10 or more hits, posting two doubles and three RBI.