Bob Daniels
The Chronicle-Telegram
WELLINGTON — Kristie Malinkey was a Keystone sophomore in 2004 when she pitched in a sectional tournament for the first time.
She threw a perfect game against Fairview.
She was perfect against Brookside in the Wildcats’ first tournament game in 2005 and she did it in the sectional opener with Brookside again this year.
Malinkey was perfect again on Saturday in the final game of her high school career, a 7-0 rout of Circleville in the Division II state championship game.
It was the first state-final perfect game in the 29-year history of Ohio high school softball and established defining moments at each end of Malinkey’s high-school career: She was perfect in her first and last tournament starts.
In keeping with the pattern, Malinkey finished her senior season with a perfect 26-0 record. She was also perfect in the All-Ohio selection process. She earned first-team honors each of her three seasons as the Wildcats’ No. 1 pitcher and was the youngest Keystone pitcher to do it.
On Thursday night, before a big crowd at Community Park, Malinkey received her final high school honor. She was named Lorain County Miss Softball, the 18th player to win the award, the seventh from Keystone.
“This is great next to our state championship,” Malinkey said. “I’m just really honored to have gotten it. Actually, I didn’t think I was going to get it because there are so many good players out there.”
She received the award prior to the annual Lorain County Seniors All-Star Game. It is given by the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Elyria.
Malinkey finished with a 70-6 career pitching record. She struck out 907 in 5072/3 innings, walked 88, allowed only 22 earned runs and crafted a 0.30 career earned-run average.
She pitched 15 no-hitters along the way, seven of them perfect games, including back-to-back perfectos earlier this season.
She ranks either first or second in almost every Keystone pitching category. Malinkey played in the Division II Final Four four times and in state championship games twice. Keystone was 119-12 during her career.
She has accepted a softball scholarship from Division I Butler University in Indianapolis. Next season, she’ll join Miss Softball 2005, Elyria’s Alex Boros, and former Keystone teammate Katie Bell on the Bulldogs roster.
Wildcats coach Jim Piazza said there is more to Malinkey than softball.
“She’s one of those kids, who you hear coaches say, is like your own daughter,” he said. “She’s definitely one of those. We have always been able to relate to each other. We got on the same page calling pitches and we just understood each other. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? She’s just a wonderful kid, a wonderful player, a wonderful person.”
Softball fans tend to overlook the fact Malinkey is also a consistently good hitter. As a freshman outfielder — Brittney Robinson was still the Wildcats’ No. 1 pitcher — she went to bat 91 times and hit .363. In four years, her batting average never fell below .353.
Malinkey batted .411 this season with seven doubles, three triples and 26 RBIs. Her career batting average is .371.
“After my freshman year, I really started working with coach P,” she said. “We worked on going with outside pitches and he let me know about stupid stuff I was doing wrong. It really showed this year, because I finished batting over .400.”
Still, Malinkey is destined to be remembered as a pitcher and a determined competitor who often said she’d rather give up a home run than a walk.
In 2005, as Keystone was preparing for a state semifinal, Malinkey was warming up with catcher Sarah Stromack, while then-pitching coach Kim Evans watched. At one point, Evans stepped into the batter’s box — without a bat — to give Malinkey perspective.
Malinkey backed her off the plate with a high, tight fastball.
“She’s a competitor,” said Piazza, who was watching.
Her dad, Jim Malinkey, said she has dedicated considerable time and effort to softball since she was small.
“I’m proud,” Jim Malinkey said. “She’s worked hard, and she’s been surrounded by good coaches and great kids. I would expect nothing less.”
Her mother, Diana Malinkey, agreed.
“She’s a great kid and she worked very hard,” she said. “She and her dad spent a lot of time on softball and she’ll have special memories of that.”
Malinkey stands just 5-foot-4. But with her extraordinary speed, precise control and a nasty change-up that often has batters twisting themselves into the ground, she can be an intimidating presence in the circle.
How intimidating? One of Malinkey’s best friends and biggest fans is Keystone football player Steve Ralston. Ralston was asked if he ever batted against her.
“I’m not that stupid,” he joked.

Malinkey Career Stats
Pitching
W L IP H ER BB SO ERA
2003 2 0 13 3 0 4 29 0.00
2004 19 2 153.2 45 5 30 229 0.23
2005 23 4 171 71 13 22 308 0.53
2006 26 0 170 50 4 14 341 0.16
Totals 70 6 507.2 169 22 80 907 0.30
Batting
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVE.
2003 91 18 33 2 3 0 21 .363
2004 102 18 36 3 3 1 16 .353
2005 89 25 32 7 2 0 12 .360
2006 95 27 39 7 3 0 26 .411
Totals 377 88 140 19 11 1 75 .371

Lorain County Miss Softball Winners
2006 Kristie Malinkey, Keystone
2005 Alex Boros, Elyria
2004 Christina Swierz, Amherst
2003 Brittney Robinson,Keystone
2002 Jess Jesko, Firelands
2001 Megan Meyer, Vermilion
2000 Lacey Reichert, Amherst
1999 Amie Leffew, Keystone
1998 Rachel Beran, Firelands
1997 Kim Evans, Keystone
1996 Laura Dragan, North Ridgeville
Tammy Yount, Elyria
1995 Jamie Cendrosky, Keystone
1994 Amy Johnson, Keystone
Sarah Martin, Keystone
1993 Ashley Anderson, Elyria
1992 Heather Zehel, Amherst
Cassie Wilmoth, Firelands