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Lakota East High School's junior varsity softball team suffered through two losses at the Mason junior varsity tournament two weekends ago.

But the Thunderhawks bounced back in a big way.

East defeated Middletown and Colerain by a combined score of 22-1, as it won 11 of its first 18 games of the season.

"We learned some lessons from the tournament, and we didn't make the same mistakes," East first-year coach Mike Buckenmyer said. "That's the important thing. They're not repeating mistakes we made early in the year. I'm learning as we go, too. Overall, the whole team has grown, including myself."

Twelve players were on the original roster, but sophomore infielder Andi Martin was moved up to varsity and sophomore outfielder Laura Clyde is injured.

"They work hard," Buckenmyer said. "They try to do everything you ask of them. They'll put in some extra time if needed. They want to do well. They're really working at it every day, trying to make themselves better."

Sophomore Erin Pollock is the team's leading hitter and top pitcher, having thrown a no-hitter this season.

"She's doing a nice job in the circle," Buckenmyer said. "She's been very effective pitching for us. We play pretty solid defense behind her."

Sophomore Melissa Kincaid replaced Martin at shortstop, while fellow sophomores Chelsea Harrison and Tori Budde share time behind the plate.

"One thing I've tried to do is make my players versatile," Buckenmyer said. "I try to play them in the infield and outfield. My job is to prepare them for varsity, and Steve (varsity coach Steve Castner) is going to plug them in wherever he thinks he needs them. I want them to have an opportunity to excel at every spot to get an idea of what it's like."

Rounding out the Thunderhawks' roster are: juniors Erin Tishy and Lauren Hickman; sophomores Lauren Barker, Chelsea Sanders and Ashley Taylor; and freshman Megan Costa.

"Obviously, you want to compete and win the GMC if you can," Buckenmyer said. "That's a tall order in this league. Top to bottom, it's a very good league. For us, that's a big goal."

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or smatthews@coxohio.com.

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