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Post by Dave Betcher on Apr 26, 2007 8:29:35 GMT -5
Solava Named Horizon League Softball Pitcher of the Week Freshman right-hander won three games for Loyola last week
April 23, 2007
CHICAGO - Freshman Amy Solava (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) has been named Horizon League Softball Pitcher of the Week it was announced this afternoon by the League office. This is the second time this season and second time in three weeks that the rookie right-hander has earned the distinction.
A week ago, Solava went 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 20.1 innings of work to help the Ramblers to a 5-1 record. She began her week by striking out five in a complete-game effort in Loyola's 4-3 win at UW-Green Bay on April 18, then fanned 11 and allowed only one run in a 2-1 victory at Cleveland State on April 21. She came on to earn the win in relief against the Vikings the next day, tossing 6.1 innings of scoreless work, scattering three hits and striking out seven.
Solava has won seven of her last nine decisions and sports a 9-8 overall mark to go with a 2.68 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 109.2 innings of work this spring. In Horizon League action, she has been even more dominant, posting a 7-1 mark with a 1.72 ERA, while allowing only 35 hits in 53 innings.
Loyola, which has won 12 of its last 15 games, hosts No. 17 DePaul on April 26 before welcoming Butler to Loyola Softball Park for a three-game series, April 28-29.
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Post by Homer Hawks Site Administrator on May 4, 2007 10:36:15 GMT -5
Loyola Upends No. 14 DePaul, Halts Longest Winning Streak In Nation Ramblers post first victory over the Blue Demons since April 18, 1995
May 2, 2007
Box Score
CHICAGO - Loyola University Chicago (19-17) capitalized on a handful of miscues to stun No. 14 DePaul (36-8), 3-0 this evening at Loyola Softball Park. With the win, the Ramblers recorded their third victory over a ranked team, posted their first win over the Blue Demons since April 18, 1995, and snapped the nation's longest current winning streak at 20 games.
"Our team gets excited to play ranked teams and we showed a tremendous amount of heart, resilience and senior leadership today," Loyola head coach Yvette Healy said.
After suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at DePaul last month, Loyola wasted no time jumping on the board tonight, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning without the aid of a base hit. Nora Schober led off by reaching on an error, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Ellen Kresl followed with a walk to give the Ramblers runners on first and second with no outs. Schober stole third and scored on a throwing error by Blue Demons catcher Jackie Tarulli-Fisher and Kresl would later score on a fielder's choice to put Loyola ahead, 2-0.
Loyola was hitless until Raven Gengler delivered a two-out single up the middle in the bottom of the fourth inning and that would wind up being its only hit of the contest. Again, despite the benefit of a hit, the Ramblers added an insurance run in the fifth as Schober walked and later came around to score on a wild pitch as DePaul attempted to intentionally walk Kat Krause.
Freshman Amy Solava allowed only two hits and struck out four en route to her 11th win of the year. The right-hander escaped a jam in the seventh inning as DePaul put a pair of runners on base, but was unable to score.
Ironically enough, the last time Loyola defeated DePaul, it was by the same 3-0 margin, 12 years ago.
The Ramblers, who have already wrapped up the regular-season Horizon League title, close out League play this weekend with a three-game series at Youngstown State, May 5-6.
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Post by Homer Hawks Site Administrator on May 11, 2007 8:09:44 GMT -5
UIC's Clynes, Detroit's Rafter Named Horizon League's Softball Co-Players of the Year, Loyola's Solava Earns Pitcher of the Year Honors Wright State's Williams and Loyola's Healy win League's other specialty awards
May 9, 2007
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INDIANAPOLIS -- University of Detroit Mercy junior Kaleigh Rafter and University of Illinois at Chicago sophomore Sarah Clynes were selected Horizon League Co-Players of the Year and Loyola University Chicago freshman Amy Solava was named Pitcher of the Year, as the League office announced its softball specialty awards and All-League teams on Wednesday (May 9). Also receiving honors were Wright State University junior Jherica Williams (Newcomer of the Year) and Loyola Head Coach Yvette Healy (Coach of the Year).
Rafter, who earned her second Player of the Year accolade in as many years, continued her dominance at the plate in 2007. The Guelph, Ontario, native finished the regular season with the loop-best marks in home runs (13), RBI (34), total bases (93), on-base percentage (.540) and slugging percentage (.816). She broke her own school single-season record from a year ago with the 13 round-trippers, while committing just four errors in 177 chances between catcher and third base.
The 2006 Newcomer of the Year, Clynes improved her billing with an outstanding sophomore season as the Flames' leadoff hitter. The sophomore designated player hit a League-high .519 in conference play. She also topped the League-only charts in slugging percentage (.963), on-base percentage (.594), runs (18), hits (28), RBI (18) and doubles (10). The St. Louis, Mo., native appeared in 36 games in the circle for UIC, turning in a 14-15 mark and 3.45 ERA in 191.0 innings pitched.
Solava had Horizon League batters off balance all year as she fanned 83 in 76.2 innings of work in loop competition. Eight of her 11 total wins on the year came in circuit play, holding opponents to a .195 batting average. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out a season-high 14 hitters in a nine-inning, complete-game effort against Wright State on April 6.
Williams burst onto the scene in her rookie season with the Raiders, hitting .474 in loop action with six doubles and three triples. She swiped a League-high 10 bases and scored a total of 41 runs during the season.
Healy guided the Ramblers to a 14-5 mark in conference play and the Ramblers' first League title since 2003. Loyola, which was picked second in the preseason poll, finished three and a half games ahead of second place Cleveland State University in the final standings.
Loyola led the First-Team All-League squad with four Ramblers making this list. Joining Solava on the list are Katerina Krause, Ashley Mitchell and Krista Crosson representing the Ramblers. Cleveland State (Christa Coppus and Amanda Houchin), Detroit (Rafter and Sarah Dickey) and UIC (Clynes and Ashlee Ackerman) all placed two student-athletes on the top squad. Newcomer of the Year Williams and Youngstown State University's McKenzie Bedra round out the First-Team All-League group. Dickey and Rafter are the only repeat members of the squad.
The Second Team features Amy Hyerczyk (Butler University), Michele Penney (Cleveland State), Amanda Macenko (Cleveland State), Adrienne Baran (Detroit), Brooke Frydendall (UIC), Melissa Marinacci (UIC), Tara Miller (Loyola), Anna Bluemel (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay), Katie Cooney (UW-Green Bay), Mollie Kaebisch (UW-Green Bay), Kristen Bradshaw (Wright State) and Autumn Grove (Youngstown State).
Williams headlines an All-Newcomer team that includes Macenko, Ackerman, Frydendall, Solava, Bluemel, Cooney, Grove, Bridget Paine (Butler), Kristen Medrud (Loyola) and Jamie Perkins (Wright State).
The 2007 Horizon League Softball Championship is scheduled to begin on Thursday (May 10) at Viking Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Opening-round action has (#2 seed) Cleveland State (8-6 in the League, 29-12 overall) facing (#7 seed) Wright State (8-10, 21-33) at 9 a.m., followed by (#3 seed) UW-Green Bay (9-7, 17-21) going up against sixth-seeded Butler (7-8, 24-22) at 11 a.m. Action continues at 1 p.m. when (#4 seed) UIC (8-7, 17-31) takes on 2006 tournament champion (#5 seed) Youngstown State (7-7, 16-20), while Loyola (14-5, 20-19) plays (#8 seed) Detroit (3-14, 11-29) at 4 p.m. to wrap up the opening round.
First-Team All-League Christa Coppus, Cleveland State Amanda Houchin, Cleveland State Sarah Dickey, Detroit Kaleigh Rafter, Detroit Ashlee Ackerman, UIC Katerina Krause, Loyola Ashley Mitchell, Loyola Jherica Williams, Wright State McKenzie Bedra, Youngstown State Sarah Clynes, UIC (DP) Krista Crosson, Loyola (P) Amy Solava, Loyola (P)
Second-Team All-League Amy Hyerczyk, Butler Michele Penney, Cleveland State Adrienne Baran, Detroit Brooke Frydendall, UIC Melissa Marinacci, UIC Tara Miller, Loyola Mollie Kaebisch, UW-Green Bay Kristen Bradshaw, Wright State Autumn Grove, Youngstown State Katie Cooney, UW-Green Bay (DP) Amanda Macenko, Cleveland State (P) Anna Bluemel, UW-Green Bay (P)
All-Newcomer Team Bridget Paine, Butler Amanda Macenko, Cleveland State Ashlee Ackerman, UIC Brooke Frydendall, UIC Kristen Medrud, Loyola Amy Solava, Loyola Anna Bluemel, UW-Green Bay Katie Cooney, UW-Green Bay Jamie Perkins, Wright State Jherica Williams, Wright State Autumn Grove, Youngstown State
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