Speed, Pitching and Defense Propel Fenton Softball Team

When softball player Ellie Cowger gets on base, her speed makes her an immediate threat to steal. But although she's quick, swiping a base isn't simply a matter of being able to run fast.

"First, you check out the catcher, how strong their arm is," Cowger said. "Then you look to see where the infielders are playing, how quick the shortstop can get to second. There are a lot of things you have to look at — what pitches the pitcher is throwing — you just have to read it. You can rely on just speed sometimes, but other times you need to analyze it more."

The speed at the top of Fenton's lineup was on display in a double-header sweep (9-2, 8-1) of Linden Tuesday. In the second game, Cowger, Fenton's leadoff hitter, and Sarah Halstead, who bats second, combined for five hits, three of them infield singles that they beat out, six stolen bases and four runs scored in the game.

Speed is a big part of Fenton's game. It puts constant pressure on the opposing defense.

"It gives you a lot of advantages, not only offensively but defensively as well," said Fenton coach Rick Bescoe. "Our whole philosophy is to use our speed to score a lot of runs and make the (opposing) defense make a lot of mistakes."

For hitters behind the top of the order, it's a nice luxury to have runners frequently on base when they come up to hit. First baseman Sarah Collier, who bats sixth, capped off the opening win over Linden with a two-run home run over the fence in center field. Sammi Cowger, Elli's older sister, bats third and gets frequent RBI opportunities as a result of the top two in the lineup.

"I just try to put the ball in play to move them," said Sammi Cowger, who was 2-for-3 with a run, two stolen bases and a RBI in the second win over Linden Tuesday. "They're fast, so I know they'll get to wherever they're going. They're always stealing too, so if I put it in play, it's usually guaranteed that we'll get a run, which is nice."

The Cowger sisters are not just solid at the plate for Fenton, however. Both play infield positions and both pitch for the team. Sammi Cowger, a left-hander, picked up the win in the first game and Ellie Cowger, a right-hander, was the winning pitcher in the second game.

Both credit the team's solid defense as a key to their pitching success.

"I feel like I can throw more strikes and let them hit it a lot more because I can trust my defense behind me," Sammi Cowger said.

Although both have pitched for a while, they do have different styles on the mound. Sammi Cowger features more pitches in her arsenal and throws a bit harder. Ellie Cowger relies on her control and pitches to contact. Both, however, say it's a major asset to have a teammate who knows what the other does so well and can give quick in-game advice.

"We just like to have each other there for support," Sammi Cowger said. "If one of us is doing something weird mechanically, we can see it and run over and be like, 'OK, you're doing this.' It's nice that we know how each other plays so much that we can do things like that for each other."

"You know you always have back up when we need it," Ellie Cowger said. "She's always there to back me up, I always have her to rely on."

Although their ability as pitchers is certainly a benefit, Bescoe notes that both have enough athletic ability and infield experience to field their positions well, which significantly bolsters the overall defense.

"That really adds to the middle of our defense," Bescoe said. "It's really good for us."