Amherst Softball Starts Season Strong in Myrtle Beach

All-Ohioan Karina Shuster leads Comets to 10-0 win over Woodrow Wilson

Mar. 30, 2026 at 6:57pm

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A vibrant, cubist-style painting depicting a high school softball game, with the players and field broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes in shades of green, yellow, and blue, conveying the energy and movement of the sport.Amherst's dominant softball victory over Woodrow Wilson showcases the team's chemistry and veteran leadership as they integrate new players and prepare for a challenging season ahead.Amherst Today

The Amherst softball team traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to open their season at the Grand Strand Classic, where they defeated Woodrow Wilson (W.Va.) 10-0 in five innings. Junior pitcher Karina Shuster, a second-team All-Ohioan, struck out 13 batters and gave up just two walks and one hit in the dominant performance.

Why it matters

The trip to Myrtle Beach allowed the Comets, who have five players with no varsity experience, to get an early start on the season and build team chemistry before facing tougher competition back home in Ohio. Amherst is the defending Division II district champion and is looking to integrate new players while leaning on veteran leadership from players like Shuster and Makenna Dorobek.

The details

Shuster's strong pitching performance set the tone, as she threw 88 pitches and averaged 4.4 pitches per at-bat. Offensively, eight Amherst players recorded at least one hit, with Shuster driving in two runs with a triple in the first inning and Kayla Rhodes bringing her home with a single. Dorobek and Sprague also drove in runs for the Comets, who scored six runs in the fifth inning to pull away.

  • The Comets opened their season on March 30 at the Grand Strand Classic in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
  • Amherst will take on Lake Braddock (Va.) on March 31 before heading back home to face SWC co-champion Berea-Midpark on April 4.

The players

Karina Shuster

A second-team All-Ohioan junior pitcher for the Amherst Comets who had a dominant performance, striking out 13 batters and giving up just two walks and one hit.

Makenna Dorobek

A veteran player for the Amherst Comets who drove in a pair of runs with a single and later scored.

Kayla Rhodes

An Amherst Comets player who brought Karina Shuster home with a single in the first inning.

Lacey Reichert

The head coach of the Amherst Comets softball team.

Sprague

A veteran player for the Amherst Comets who hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run.

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What they’re saying

“'Karina (Shuster) is an All-Ohio junior pitcher. She has to pitch like that every day,'”

— Lacey Reichert, Amherst head coach

“'(Shuster's) location looked good, her spins looked good and her offspeed looked good. Obviously, she has a lot of room to continue to improve this season, and she knows that. One thing that we do need to do is clean it up defensively, because we had two errors today and we will (work on that).'”

— Lacey Reichert, Amherst head coach

“'We have five girls on our roster with no varsity experience, today being their first varsity softball game. As the year goes on, they are going to have to continue to get better. They have to play varsity softball at the level we need them to play at. The more we do things like (travel to Myrtle Beach) and play the schedule we have, it is going to get them there much quicker.'”

— Lacey Reichert, Amherst head coach

“'Aside from the weather, you know that you are going to get four games in. Not every high school kid is going to be able to go on a trip with their team and grow with their teammates this early in the year. … We come down to compete and win games, but after the game is over, the girls are out on the beach spending time with each other. Team chemistry is a huge thing in sports and they get to build on that.'”

— Lacey Reichert, Amherst head coach

What’s next

Amherst will take on Lake Braddock (Va.) on March 31 before heading back home to face SWC co-champion Berea-Midpark on April 4.

The takeaway

The Amherst Comets' early season trip to Myrtle Beach allowed them to get a head start on the season, build team chemistry, and integrate new players, while also giving their star pitcher Karina Shuster a chance to showcase her skills in a dominant performance to open the year.