By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

COVINGTON – St. Charles earned the top seed in the 2009 state softball playoffs on a steady diet of strong pitching and defensive play.

The Comets seem to once again be up to their old tricks. Ditto for senior Courtney Western.

Western pitched a complete game one-hitter and struck out 11 as St. Charles rolled to a 5-0 non-district win at Covington in the Comets’ season opener.

“The funny thing is, we didn’t think she was having one of her better days,” said St. Charles coach Ty Monica. “She struggled a little with her location. But then you look up and she’s got a no-no going through five. It’s a pretty good thing when you can do that on what’s maybe not your best day.”

St. Charles (1-0) led 1-0 after the first inning on Meg Gustafson’s two-out RBI single.

That lead increased to 3-0 on the third on two hits – RBIs from Megan Louque and Kadie Levatino – and two walks.

“Whether you’re a senior or a freshman, you’ve always got nerves in your first game of the season,” said Monica. “Once we went up 3-0 though, I think the pressure was off. Now you just go play softball.”

The Comets scratched across a pair of insurance runs in the sixth after Covington issued two walks with the bases loaded.

Monica said that his team will have to improve its hitting in the clutch going forward — while Gustafson and Levatino each delivered two-out RBIs, SCC left 10 runners on base.

“We talked after the game. I thought we were a little scared to fail,” he said. “We swung timid. In this game you can’t afford to do that.”

But by the same token, he says anytime you start the season with a win, it’s a good time.

And the win draws St. Charles closer to one of its team goals for the season —

with 14 more wins, the Comet senior class (Western, Gustafson, Levatino, Jen Heltz, Dominique DiCarlo and Candace McGaff) will have more wins than any class in the program’s history.

“It’s definitely something we’re working for,” said Monica.