Posted: April 28, 2010 |(0) Comments

State girls softball teams are expected to go through an adjustment period this season as they get used to the idea that the pitching rubber is now 3 feet farther back than it used to be.

The change was made to improve scoring and not let pitchers dominate games as much as they have in recent years.

But it looks like Homestead's Rachel Behnken and Bekah Rennicke have already made the adjustment as the heavily favored Highlanders continued their early season dominance of North Shore teams with a 13-0 five-inning shutout of a game Nicolet squad April 22.

It was the fourth straight blanking in as many league games for Homestead, as Behnken went the distance with 12 strikeouts in recording a short-game no-hitter.

"It's nice that we're in position to do something like that," said veteran Homestead coach Dave Keel. "Our girls (Behnken and Rennicke) are doing things very well at this point. But right now, it's just important for us to keep the momentum and to keep playing hard."

Nicolet coach Brad Kuehl, whose young team lost its second straight North Shore game after winning its first two, was not at all surprised at what happened this day.

"They're (the Highlanders) a senior-dominated team and they just have really, really good pitchers," he said. "They're something that we strive to become."

Homestead scored 10 runs in the first three innings to put the game away. In the five-run third, shortstop Michelle Zoeller (four hits and four runs on the day) and outfielder Siena Mitman (two hits and four RBI) each had two-run singles and catcher Amy Keel had a run-scoring double. Keel added a two-run double in the three-run fifth.

Outfielder Sarah Block, who is still recovering from knee surgery last winter, also had a hit.

Behnken had to deal with a runner getting to third only once in the third (on an error and a wild pitch), but then she got Nicolet's all-conference catcher Emily Gadzichowski to strike out to end the threat. The Knights main highlight was the play of freshman shortstop Lanoira Duhart, who made several nice efforts on the day, including a gliding textbook 6-3 double play off a hard struck grounder in the fourth.

"She does everything so smoothly," Kuehl said. "She just has natural instincts."

Duhart also leads the team in hits, added Kuehl.

On April 20, Homestead's Rennicke tossed a three-hit, 4-0, shutout against Cedarburg (1-3) with four strikeouts and a walk. Emily Martin had two hits and two runs scored while Schlaeger also had two singles.

Also on that day, Nicolet could muster only two hits in a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Grafton (5-4, 3-1) as the Knights had four errors and pitcher Amy Popp struggled with seven walks.

Homestead will be at the powerhouse Muskego Invite on Saturday (9:15 a.m.) while Nicolet will visit Milwaukee Lutheran at 4 p.m. today.