Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The youth of the Valparaiso softball program was honored as the All-Tournament Team for last weekend's Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic was revealed, as sophomore Brittany Duncan (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) and freshmen Janelle Bouchard (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) and Kaitlyn Ranieri (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) represented the Crusaders for their performances during the tournament.

Duncan hit .467 over the tournament's five games (7-of-15) and also drew four walks, good for an on-base percentage of .579. The sophomore went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI in the win over Dayton, and scored runs in the games against South Dakota State and Pitt.

Bouchard tallied hits in all five ballgames, posting a .438 (7-of-16) batting average on the weekend. The freshman had her biggest game in the win over Dayton, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, two RBIs and two doubles. She also tallied a pinch-hit RBI single against Pitt and picked up a double versus Western Michigan. Bouchard also excelled defensively, throwing out three of five potential base-stealers from behind home plate.

Ranieri hit .417 for the tournament (5-of-12), starting four of the five games. The rookie scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh as a pinch-runner in the extra-innings win over Dayton. Ranieri then went 2-for-3 with a run scored against South Dakota State, and posted a 2-for-3 effort in the tournament finale versus Western Michiga, picking up an RBI and a triple. She also stole two bases on as many attempts.