Softball team stays hopeful after rocky start
Salvador Galvan
Staff Writer
The women’s softball season is underway and the women are working hard to get wins and get on their way to a successful season.
The team trip to St. Louis was cut short due to rain and the team headed home a day early. Only able to play one game out of six, the women dropped the game 6-3 against Meramec College.
Coach Susan Garcia said there were things she liked and things she wants to see improvement on. The offense looked good, hitting a few triples that helped them stay in the game and build confidence. The rainy field conditions didn’t favor the defense with errors in the infield giving up four unearned runs.
Getting back to the field didn’t turn out the way the team hoped. On March 17, the Lancers played two away games against Kankakee, losing both games with scores of 19-4 and 8-0.
Coach Garcia saw problems in the defense, watching balls go through player’s legs. Sophomore Kellie Kraft said, “We weren’t there.”
Coach Garcia was confident that all the things that went wrong for the team could and would be corrected for their following home games, March 19, against Triton College. Friday was better for the Lancers, as they split the double header against Triton, winning the first game 4-2 and losing the second in a close score of 6-5.
In the first game against Triton, Sophomore Becky Taylor pitched seven innings, while giving up eight hits, three walks, and striking out two batters, limiting Triton to one earned run. Giving support to Taylor’s pitching, Sophomore Heather Ruetsche went 2 for 3, with a triple and Kellie Kraft, a sophomore, added a double to help the Lancers take the first game.
In the second game, Ruetsche pitched six innings, giving up seven hits, two walks, two strikeouts and one earned run.
Sophomore Melissa Ori had a good game offensively, going 2 for 4 and hitting a three-run triple to help the Lancers stay in the game.
Coach Garcia said game two was difficult because. “Players were playing out of position and, unfortunately, we are not yet comfortable on the field,” she said. “Right now we are looking for the consistency outside to get a good rhythm with both our offense and defense.”
The team will play Kishwaukee on March 25 at 3 p.m. and will try to get a win streak started and get comfortable on the field with each other.
“Team chemistry is good, they just need to bring it to the field and respect each other’s talents and know they can get the job done,” Garcia said.
With plenty of games left in the season, the team has a lot of time to get more wins under their belts and get comfortable on the field.
Freshman Monika Wedick, a pitcher for the Lancers who also plays the outfield and second base, talked about coming into her first season of women’s college softball.
The change from high school softball to college softball made Wedick nervous but excited about change, and the chance to play alongside people with more experience.
“It’s harder coming from high school into college because it’s more competitive,” she said.
Wedick said her goals for the season are to improve her hitting, keep her attitude up and become a leader for the team. She said it’s harder to lead the team with sophomores who already have experience. She said that, although the St. Louis trip was cut short, she did enjoy team activities and said it was a good bonding experience with her teammates. Wedick pitched against Kankakee on March 17, but wasn’t satisfied with her pitching.
“It was a tough game because my pitching wasn’t on and I was pulled to right field where the sun was in the way, but I was happy with my hitting offensively,” she said.
For her next start Wedick said she hopes to hit her spots, make pitches on target and continue to hit the ball well.
Staff Writer
The women’s softball season is underway and the women are working hard to get wins and get on their way to a successful season.
The team trip to St. Louis was cut short due to rain and the team headed home a day early. Only able to play one game out of six, the women dropped the game 6-3 against Meramec College.
Coach Susan Garcia said there were things she liked and things she wants to see improvement on. The offense looked good, hitting a few triples that helped them stay in the game and build confidence. The rainy field conditions didn’t favor the defense with errors in the infield giving up four unearned runs.
Getting back to the field didn’t turn out the way the team hoped. On March 17, the Lancers played two away games against Kankakee, losing both games with scores of 19-4 and 8-0.
Coach Garcia saw problems in the defense, watching balls go through player’s legs. Sophomore Kellie Kraft said, “We weren’t there.”
Coach Garcia was confident that all the things that went wrong for the team could and would be corrected for their following home games, March 19, against Triton College. Friday was better for the Lancers, as they split the double header against Triton, winning the first game 4-2 and losing the second in a close score of 6-5.
In the first game against Triton, Sophomore Becky Taylor pitched seven innings, while giving up eight hits, three walks, and striking out two batters, limiting Triton to one earned run. Giving support to Taylor’s pitching, Sophomore Heather Ruetsche went 2 for 3, with a triple and Kellie Kraft, a sophomore, added a double to help the Lancers take the first game.
In the second game, Ruetsche pitched six innings, giving up seven hits, two walks, two strikeouts and one earned run.
Sophomore Melissa Ori had a good game offensively, going 2 for 4 and hitting a three-run triple to help the Lancers stay in the game.
Coach Garcia said game two was difficult because. “Players were playing out of position and, unfortunately, we are not yet comfortable on the field,” she said. “Right now we are looking for the consistency outside to get a good rhythm with both our offense and defense.”
The team will play Kishwaukee on March 25 at 3 p.m. and will try to get a win streak started and get comfortable on the field with each other.
“Team chemistry is good, they just need to bring it to the field and respect each other’s talents and know they can get the job done,” Garcia said.
With plenty of games left in the season, the team has a lot of time to get more wins under their belts and get comfortable on the field.
Freshman Monika Wedick, a pitcher for the Lancers who also plays the outfield and second base, talked about coming into her first season of women’s college softball.
The change from high school softball to college softball made Wedick nervous but excited about change, and the chance to play alongside people with more experience.
“It’s harder coming from high school into college because it’s more competitive,” she said.
Wedick said her goals for the season are to improve her hitting, keep her attitude up and become a leader for the team. She said it’s harder to lead the team with sophomores who already have experience. She said that, although the St. Louis trip was cut short, she did enjoy team activities and said it was a good bonding experience with her teammates. Wedick pitched against Kankakee on March 17, but wasn’t satisfied with her pitching.
“It was a tough game because my pitching wasn’t on and I was pulled to right field where the sun was in the way, but I was happy with my hitting offensively,” she said.
For her next start Wedick said she hopes to hit her spots, make pitches on target and continue to hit the ball well.
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