If Tuesday was any indication, Amy Kaniewski demonstrated her ability to fill the role as Munster’s No. 1 pitcher.
The junior tossed a two-hitter as the Mustangs posted a 4-0 road win against Lake Central in the season opener for both teams.
Kaniewski had 10 strikeouts and four walks. She carried a no-hitter through five innings. She also impressed Munster coach Beth Thornburg.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bit surprised we held them scoreless,” Thornburg said. “But Amy pitched very well. Her curveball was pretty good, she kept the ball down in the strike zone and she was changing speeds a little bit too.
“Lake Central obviously is going to be a much better team throughout the season. They didn’t hit the ball very well, and that team is going to score a lot of runs throughout the season. They just had a rough day.”
Indians coach Jeff Sherman also credited Kaniewski.
“She did a nice job,” Sherman said. “She moved the ball in and out, she never let us get comfortable at the plate. That’s a good lineup she was able to maneuver.”
Kaniewski went 6-4 with a 2.81 ERA last season behind Amanda Osterhus, who helped the Mustangs win their first regional title and advance to a semistate final. Osterhus went 15-6 with a 2.82 ERA, including a 1-0 upset of Crown Point in a sectional final.
Kaniewski, who also had a productive travel season in which her team finished ninth at nationals, prepared to move to the forefront.
“When we had our end-of-the-year talks, coach asked me if I thought I was going to be ready for next year and I said yes,” Kaniewski said. “It would be my time to step up and show how much I’ve grown and matured.”
Lake Central didn’t get a hit against Kaniewski until Jessi Kiefor led off the sixth with a double.
The Indians threatened in the fourth, but Kaniewski pitched out of trouble. She walked leadoff hitter Kiefor and Gabi Carra to start the inning, but struck out the Indians’ Nos. 3-5 hitters.
“I just tried to stay calm and relaxed,” Kaniewski said.
Sherman called the fourth “the turning point” of the game.
“That’s a situation where I fully expect, as the year progresses, we’re going to come out on the positive end of it,” Sherman said. “It’s March 28. It’s OK to have a situation and not come through because you learn from it.”
The Mustangs scored two runs in the first against Columbia commit Alexa Pinarski, with Mary Ellen Gilhooly leading off with a triple and Rebecca Radtke adding a one-out RBI triple.
Radtke went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. Sara Mavity went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Radtke, a junior shortstop who has verbally committed to Green Bay, liked Munster’s approach at the plate.
“She was hitting her spots, but we were able to track it,” Radtke said. “Especially with the outside pitch, we knew to put it to right field.”
The Mustangs were excited to open with a win against the Indians, who won 9-3 last season.
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“It’s spectacular,” Kaniewski said. “Knowing we came back to beat a team we’ve been struggling against, it’s a great feeling.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff