Weidinger smacks 3 home runs in game, a first for an Owens player

4/12/2014
BY MATT THOMPSON
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Tori Weidinger, shown here in practice, swatted three home runs in her game against the Cleveland Challengers.
Tori Weidinger, shown here in practice, swatted three home runs in her game against the Cleveland Challengers.

Tori Weidinger made a huge understatement Friday when she said that the previous day, she made "good contact."

Weidinger did something no other Owens Community College softball player had ever done. On Thursday, she hit three home runs in one game, against the Cuyahoga Challengers in Cleveland.

She finished the game, which Owens won 19-0, by going 5-for-5 at the plate, scored five runs, added a double to the three bombs, and knocked in seven teammates.

"They got on base and it is my job to knock them in," the cleanup hitter said. "It means a lot to me, but I couldn't have done it without my hitting coach and support of my team."

Hitting was contagious for Owens that day, and it has been a strength of the team all year. Owens, which is based in Perrysburg Township, is 16-2 on the season and 6-0 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference. 

Emily Rockman has a .480 batting average in leadoff and the three-hole hitter, Brittany George, is hitting .509. Couple those hitters with Weidinger, hitting about .500 with power, and the lineup is scoring a lot of runs.

"It is really fun. I played against a lot of the team (members when I was) in high school, (and) now we are playing as one unit," said Weidinger, who plays catcher and in the outfield.

The team's 19 runs were the most scored in any game this season. And for the freshman from Whitmer, it was "definitely the best day at the plate I've ever had." That is not an understatement.

Contact Matt Thompson at: mthompson@theblade.com, 419-356-8786, or on Twitter at @mthompson25.