The smile on her face told the story.
Windsor senior Delana Mentel had just pitched a 2-0 shutout against Notre Dame St. Louis on Sept. 19 and her cheeks were bright red as she grinned from ear to ear.
“With softball, I always like to have fun. If you’re not doing that and loving it, what are you doing it for?” Mentel said. “I would like to think of myself as a half-full glass kind of person. I always like to see the positive side and cheer my teammates on.”
Until the performance against the Rebels, Mentel had struggled to find the strike zone, said Owls head coach Wayne Montgomery. But against Notre Dame, Mentel filled up the zone, rarely losing a 3-2 count and finished with eight strikeouts.
“But she’s been picking that up the last couple of games,” he said. “She’s a very capable pitcher that can win games. (Notre Dame) is a good team and we knew they’d be a tough team.”
Notre Dame is in Class 3 District 2 with Windsor, so the Owls’ victory helps to gain a higher seed in the tournament they will host at their new stadium. Windsor (5-7) also beat district rival De Soto in a tournament game that doesn’t count in the Jefferson County Activities Association standings.
Hillsboro also is in the district. The Hawks shut out the Rebels in last year’s state quarterfinals.
The Owls took a 1-0 lead off of Notre Dame pitcher Carlee Gilham in the first inning. The score remained that way until the fourth when they increased the margin to 2-0.
Seniors Emma Pouvaranukoah and Jaden Treis produced Windsor’s two RBIs and Pouvaranukoah had two of her team’s four hits.
“Those two young ladies put their time in,” Montgomery said. “They played in the outfield last year and didn’t get a lot of at-bats, but they’re setting the table for us all the time and are getting great at-bats.”
Mentel and shortstop Payton Irwin had the other hits for the Owls. Irwin stole two bases.
Allison Kaiser had three of the four hits for the Rebels.
With junior Piper Montgomery behind the plate and Irwin at shortstop, the Owls have a solid infield defense.
“When you’ve got somebody who knows the game like Piper, I’m confident,” Wayne Montgomery said of his niece. “I’m a big believer the catcher can see what pitches are moving during the game and she has a good feel for how to call it. She keeps everything in front and never drops strike three.
“We’ve settled in on a defense that we like. Alyssa Copeland (a senior) has made good plays at third. Payton is always going to be there defensively. When we beat St. Pius (X), she saved at least five runs in that game. She has the best hands on the team.”
The Owls began last week with a 10-3 win against the Lancers on Sept. 16. Mentel worked around six walks by striking out seven Lancers. Junior Gabby Dueing had two hits and three runs batted in for Windsor. Treis was 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
On Sept. 18, the Owls ran into red hot Northwest (12-2), winners of seven straight games. The Lions won 18-3 in four innings behind 15 hits.
“Northwest hit the ball well against us. (Notre Dame) is a team that’s comparable to us size wise. I think we can compete in districts,” Wayne Montgomery said.
Hillsboro leads the conference at 3-0, with Festus at 3-1 and Windsor and De Soto at 2-1. The Owls meet the Dragons today (Thursday) and close out their league schedule against Hillsboro (Oct. 7) and Festus (Oct. 10).