Posted: June 30, 2009 |(0) Comments

Cudahy — The knee injury Cudahy junior Kelly Wilde suffered during the basketball season left a huge hole in the middle of the Packers' softball lineup this spring.

Senior first baseman Alisa Damitz did her best to fill that gap all by herself.

Damitz, in her fourth year on the varsity, batted .509 (28-for-55) during the regular season. She had a slugging percentage of .855 and an astounding on-base percentage of .622. She scored 23 times and drove in 18 runs and was selected to the all-Woodland Conference team.

For her efforts, Damitz also made the 2009 NOW All-Suburban Softball Team, becoming just the second player in school history to earn that honor.

"I definitely exceeded my own expectations," Damitz said. "Kelly was our big hitter last year. I took on her role and tried to pick up some of what she did."

Wilde was the first Packer to make the All-Suburban team. As a sophomore shortstop in 2008, she batted .446 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. But her injury forced Damitz to carry a bigger load than expected.

"In the games she didn't hit, we struggled as a team," Cudahy coach Justin Biever said. "(Damitz) was good last year. She hit just under .400. This year, her numbers, wow. Without Wilde in the lineup, she hit with power and a high average. The tools are there."

The Packers also were without Ashley Marian, another solid hitter who graduated after the 2008 campaign. Wilde, Marian and Damitz were Cudahy's first three batters in the lineup in 2008, but only Damitz was around at the start of this season.

"When we lost both of them, it was difficult, but I tried not to think about it," Damitz said. "I just did what my coach asked me to do. I became a better two-strike hitter. I tried not to think as much in the box. We focused a lot in practice on hitting with runners in scoring position and that helped."

Damitz will attend the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point next fall but is unsure if she will try out for the softball team. Biever believes she would make a solid college player if she did.

"She's just a good player," he said. "She puts the bat on the ball and doesn't strike out a lot. She hits for power and she can really run. She's a consistent hitter. Some of the teams in our conference lacked pitching, but even against the good teams she still hit. She has the tools and she just had an outstanding year."