By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Brandywine's varsity softball team may be in better shape than what coach Jim Myers thought.
In a recent interview, Myer's was concerned about his team's offense and defense this season and said that the first few games would be an indication of how his team would do this year.
Brandywine opened its season on April 6 and posted at 1-1 record at the Clay Tournament.
On Saturday, Brandywine made up for that loss and posted a 3-0 record at the Penn Tournament to claim the championship. The Bobcats are now 4-1 on the season.
In the first game, the Bobcats met with host Penn and claimed a 6-2 win.
Kelli Zache claimed the win in the circle, throwing 10 strike outs and allowing only two walks in seven innings. Katy Westberg suffered the loss for the Kingsmen.
Top hitters for Brandywine were Kendra Zache with two RBIs, one double and two singles and Kristina Ford with one double.
In game two, the Bobcats took a 4-3 win over Merrillville, Ind.
Brandywine trailed the entire game, while Merrillville held onto a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Lady ‘Cats brought in four runs to claim the 4-2 lead. Merrillville could only score one run in the bottom of the seventh, allowing Brandywine to claim the win.
Kendra Zache took her first win of the season in the circle, throwing 10 strike outs and allowing only one walk the entire game.
Kelli Zache was the lone top hitter for the Bobcats with two singles and two RBIs.
In the final game of the day, Brandywine posted a 4-0 win over Lafayette Jefferson.
Kelli Zache improved her record to 3-1 with a shut-out win in the circle. She threw 14 strike outs and allowed two walks in seven innings pitched.
Top hitters for the Bobcats were Kendra Zache and Kristina Ford, who both had two singles and one RBI each.
Brandywine will play its first Lakeland Conference game of the season on Tuesday when it travels to Bridgman. Game time is set for 4 p.m.