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Women's Softball

May 6, 2009
Cyclones end their season in playoffs

The start was slow, but by season's end the Cyclones went 13-4 in their last 17 games and were one team away from a trip to the national championship. To end their short season, Moraine Valley battled but came up short against a tough Kankakee team in the NJCAA Region IV playoff tournament.

Region IV playoffs were held May 1 and 2 at Highland Community College where the Cyclones split four games. The team's test of strength came in the final playoff game against Kankakee. The game was scoreless up to the fourth inning when the Cavaliers scored first, and things then began to fall apart with Kankakee winning 6-1. Jessica Noble pitched giving up only two earned runs. The other four were unearned. The Cyclones were able to scatter only three hits. Despite the loss the team brought home a second place trophy. Noble, Samantha Abrego and Ashley Barry were named to the All-Tournament team.

“We were the only team in the tournament that played seven innings with Kankakee, so it was a brave battle. We were just one team away from the nationals,” said head coach Jim Knawa.

The Cyclones finished the season with an 8-4 conference record and 17-13 overall season record.

“I think the team really progressed from start to finish. From the beginning we showed improvement in many areas. We started slow, but we ended much stronger,” said Knawa. He added that pitching was the team’s strength, especially with Noble on the mound. She grew stronger as the season continued and matched it with power at the plate.

Abrego and Noble were selected for the All-Region IV first team and Kelly Small got the nod for the second team. Noble, Abrego, Barry, Small, and Claudia Kovach were named to the All-Conference first team while Natalie D’Ambrosio was selected for the All-Conference second team.

The team also had two players, Abrego and Small, who batted over .400 this season. Abrego batted .494 while Small swatted .456. With those stats Abrego was ranked 25th in NJCAA Division II and Small was ranked 42nd. The duo was also ranked 15th and 27th, respectively for their on base percentage; Abrego was at .556 and Small had a .532.

Game Recaps
May 1-Region IV Semi-Finals @ Highland Community College vs. South Suburban College
Moraine Valley 0    South Suburban 1
The Cyclones dropped the first game in a tight match-up. The athletes had trouble connecting at the plate in this close game that was tied going into the last inning. Noble allowed six hits and the run scored was unearned.

May 2-Semi-Finals vs. College of Lake County, South Suburban College, Kankakee Community College
Moraine Valley 6    Lake County 1
The Cyclones bounced back in game two of the playoffs. The five-run first inning was powered by a lead-off home run by Kovach and a grand slam by Noble. Noble pitched five solid innings and Kovach finished the last two innings without allowing a run. Barry went 3-for-3 on the day.

Moraine Valley 2    South Suburban 1
In a rematch with South Suburban the Cyclones reversed the prior day’s loss by handing it back to the Bulldogs. D’Ambrosio and Kovach drove in the runs, while Small had two hits for the game. Noble was the winning pitcher allowing one run on six hits.

Moraine Valley 1    Kankakee 6
After the win over South Suburban, the Cyclones advanced to the championship game of the Region IV tournament with the winner proceeding to the national championship.

April 30, 2009
Game Recap

April 29 vs. McHenry County College
Moraine Valley 4    McHenry 3
The Cyclones opened the quarter final round of the Region IV tournament with a victory. Jessica Noble was strong on the mound to pick up the win. Ashley Barry and Samantha Abrego each had three hits and two RBIs to power the offense.

Moraine Valley 5    McHenry 1
After this second consecutive win against McHenry, the Cyclones advanced to the Region IV semi-finals in Freeport. Pitcher Claudia Kovach completed the sweep of the series, allowing only one run on five hits. Kaitlyn Cachampis provided an offensive spark going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Ashley Barry and Kovach had two hits each while the defense played flawless ball.

April 23, 2009
Game Recap

April 22 vs. College of Lake County
Moraine Valley 7    Lake County 6
The Cyclones came from behind in the eighth inning to win game one. Ashley Barry’s one-out base hit drove in two runs to end the extra inning affair. Both Barry and Jessica Noble had three hits apiece. Noble also allowed only one earned run and six hits in picking up the victory.

Moraine Valley 11    Lake County 14
In a high scoring ballgame, the Cyclones scattered 17 hits and scored 11 runs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Lancer’s 14 runs. Samantha Abrego went 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBI’s, while Barry and Noble both went 3-for-5.

April 17, 2009
Game Recap

April 16 vs. Prairie State College
Moraine Valley 11    Prairie State 0
An eight-run second inning helped the Cyclones surge to victory in game one. Jessica Noble continued to improve on the mound after earning her sixth victory while allowing only two hits and striking out four. Kelly Small went 3-for-4 and Samantha Abrego had four RBI’s. This was the team’s eighth consecutive victory.

Moraine Valley 4    Prairie State 8
Although Prairie State scored eight runs, only four were earned as a result of a couple costly errors. Claudia Kovach pitched well, but took the loss.

April 16, 2009
Game Recap

April 15 vs. South Suburban College
Moraine Valley 11    South Suburban 1
The Cyclones used a 10-run fourth inning to defeat South Suburban in five innings. Every batter in the lineup had at least one base hit. Jessica Noble allowed only 7 hits to pick up her fifth win of the year. Samantha Abrego had 2 RBI’s with her fifth home run.

Moraine 8    South Suburban 3
The Cyclones continued their hot streak with their seventh win in a row. Claudia Kovach was the winning pitcher allowing only 1 earned run. Ashley Barry had 3 RBI’s while Natalie D’Ambrosio and Abrego each went 2-for-3 at the plate.

April 12, 2009
Game Recap

April 11 vs. Morton College
Moraine Valley 18    Morton 0
The bats came alive for a sweep of Morton. The Cyclones are on a five-game winning streak. In game one Claudia Kovach was the winning pitcher allowing only one hit and striking out six. Kelly Small went 4-for-4 with four RBI’s.

Moraine 23    Morton 2
In game two, Jessica Noble picked up the win with offensive help from Small who had four RBI’s, Samantha Abrego who went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI’s, and Kaitlyn Cachampis who went 4-for-4.
For the season Small is hitting .531, going 17-for- 22 (.772 ave.) in her last six games.

April 10, 2009
Game Recap

April 9 vs. Waubonsee Community College
Moraine Valley 8    Waubonsee 2
The Cyclones played flawless ball and scattered 10 hits in the victory over Waubonsee. Claudia Kovach allowed two runs and struck out seven in picking up the victory. Natalie D’Ambrosio went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s.

Moraine Valley 9    Waubonsee 6
The Cyclones improved to 6-2 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference after this win. Jessica Noble allowed two earned runs and struck out six. The Cyclones had 16 hits collectively and Samantha Abrego went 4-for-4 with a double. Kaitlyn Cachampis made a stunning two-out catch in centerfield in the seventh inning to secure the win.

April 8, 2009
Game Recap

April 7 @ McHenry County College
Moraine Valley 8    McHenry 11
Although McHenry scored 11 runs, only one was earned as the Cyclones committed six errors. Both Kelly Small and Ashley Barry went 3-for-4 while Claudia Kovach and Natalie D'Ambrosio had two hits each.

Moraine Valley 3    McHenry 1
The Cyclones battled back to win game two–thanks to defensive intensity. Jessica Noble was the winning pitcher allowing only four hits and striking out five. Samantha Abrego went 3-for-4, and Small had two hits plus a superb defensive game at second base.

April 6, 2009
Game Recap

April 3 vs. Joliet Junior College
Moraine Valley 1    Joliet 3
Despite a strong pitching performance by Jessica Noble, the Cyclones were only able to generate five hits during game one against Joliet. Claudia Kovach had two of the five hits.

Moraine Valley 7    Joliet 6
A six-run second inning was enough to help the Cyclones defeat Joliet. Kovach was the winning pitcher. Samantha Abrego had two hits, Caitlyn Cachampis hit a triple to drive in two runs, and Cassie Horbach also had two RBI’s.

April 3, 2009
Game Recap

April 2 @ Elgin Community College
Moraine Valley 7 Elgin 3
Led by Samantha Abrego’s three-run home run and four RBI’s, the Cyclones outslugged Elgin. Every player in the lineup had at least one hit in a 14-hit offensive outburst. Winning pitcher Jessica Noble struck out seven. Claudia Kovach, Kelly Small, Karen Kooyenga, and Cassie Horbach had two hits apiece.

Moraine Valley 1 Elgin 3
With Elgin batting in the sixth inning with two outs, the Cyclones committed three consecutive errors which led to three unearned runs in the 3-1 loss. Claudia Kovach pitched well allowing only six hits, striking out four and walking one. The Cyclones were only able to scatter five hits in the contest.

March 30, 2009
Game recap

March 27 vs. Rock Valley College
Moraine Valley 3    Rock Valley 7
Kelly Small- 2 hits
Claudia Kovach- 1 triple

Moraine Valley 8    Rock Valley 10
The game went to eight innings. Cassie Horbach and Natalie D'Ambrosio had outstanding defensive efforts.
Kelly Small- 3 hits and 2 RBI's
Jessica Noble- 2 hits
Samantha Abrego- 2 hits
Ashley Barry- 2 hits
Sam Salis- 2 hits
Pam Yolich- 2 hits

March 27, 2009
Game recap

March 26 @ Oakton Community College
Moraine Valley 7    Oakton 0
Moraine Valley 7    Oakton 0
Oakton forfeited both games to Moraine Valley.

March 23, 2009
Game recap

March 22 vs. Kishwaukee College
Moraine Valley 4    Kishwaukee 7
Claudia Kovach- 2 hits
Samantha Abrego- 3 hits, 1 homerun
Ashley Barry- 2 hits
Karen Kooyenga- 1 hit, 2 RBI's
Natalie D'Ambrosio- 2 hits

Moraine Valley 1    Kishwaukee 5
D'Ambrosio and Kelly Small turned in a huge defensive effort with eight putouts/assists from their shortstop/second base combination.

March 21, 2009
Game recap

March 20 @ Kankakee Community College
Moraine Valley 3    Kankakee 11
Claudia Kovach- 1 run, 2 hits, 1 double
Jessica Noble- 1 run, 3 hits
Cassie Horbach- 1 hit, 1 double
Ashley Barry- 1 hit, 1 triple, 2 RBI's

Moraine Valley 0    Kankakee 8
Kelly Small-produced the only hit of the game

March 13, 2009
Expectations high for talented squad

The 2009 season begins with high expectations for Moraine Valley’s softball team. After a successful run in the 2008 season ending with an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Co-Championship and advancing to the Region IV finals, the Cyclones are expecting strong leadership from their returning sophomores for another championship year.

Head coach Aleka Letsos is taking a leave of absence this season after coaching the team since 2006. Her replacement this year is interim head coach Jim Knawa, who also coaches the Cyclones women’s soccer team, and new assistant Meghan Gallagher. Both Knawa and Gallagher are excited about the potential talent of this team.

Seven players are returning from last year's 24-9-1 roster. Five of these athletes received post-season honors for 2008: Samantha Abrego (Thornton Fractional North), Jessica Noble (Oak Lawn), Ashley Barry (Marist), Claudia Kovach (Eisenhower), and Janessa Guerrero (Queen of Peace). Abrego was also ranked 13th in 2008 for individual batting statistics in NJCAA Division II with 39 RBIs and a .516 batting average. Other second year players expected to contribute significantly include Natalie D'Ambrosio (Montini), and Cassandra Horbach (Marist).

The incoming class includes Caitlyn Cachampis (Mother McAuley), Jill Gamauf (Chicago Christian), Karen Kooyenga (Chicago Christian), Kelly Small (Oak Lawn), Pam Yolich (Oak Lawn), and Caitlyn Morrin (Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences).

This year's squad is expected to have a nice balance of returning players with experience and talented incoming players. Noble and Kovach are back as starting pitchers, while the Cyclones will rely offensively on Abrego, Barry, and Guerrero.