Softball team gets back to .500
Salvador Galvan
Staff Writer
With a rocky start to kick off the 2010 women’s softball season, Coach Susan Garcia hoped her team would pick it up on the defensive and offensive end and win more games. They did just that with some style by winning five games in a row. During the five game win streak, the Lancers bats were on fire and their pitching and defense were lights out. The women outscored their opponents 52-6 during the win streak. Coach Garcia said, “It’s good to have wins and be in a grove.”
Dropping their first game in the Kankakee Tournament against Grand Rapids Community College by 8-6, the Lancers quickly put that loss behind them and prepared to rebound against South Suburban College.
With the women determined to comeback and end the tournament on a good note, they defeated South Suburban College 4-2 and didn’t look back. Only able to play two of the three tournament games, the third game cancelled due to weather, the Lancers were ready to build on their last win and have the momentum carry over when they hosted Harper College at home.
The first game against Harper College, sophomore Heather Ruetsche took the mound and was absolutely dominant. She pitched five near perfect innings, limited Harper to two hits, one walk and no runs. She hit her spots and struck out seven batters. Ruetsche helped her own cause by going 2 for 3 at the plate. She had four RBI, coming off a double and a home run. She scored three runs. The Lancers won that game 14-0 and extended their winning streak to two games.
In the second game against Harper College, freshman Monika Wedick, scattered six hits, one walk, six strikeouts and limited Harper to three runs in five innings. She won the game 12-3 and extended the women’s win streak to three games.
The Lancers would go on the road and play Morton College for their next two games. Ruetsche, hoped to keep the momentum rolling and help her team win the first game against Morton College after an outstanding game against Harper College., Ruetsche was almost identical to her last game, near perfect, as she pitched five innings and only gave up one hit and three walks, while striking out seven and giving up no runs. She was perfect at the plate, going 3 for 3 by hitting three singles. She drove in three runs and scored two, herself. The Lancers won by the same score as Ruetsche’s last outing, 14-0, and extended the win streak to four games.
Game two against Morton College, Wedick was ready to keep the streak going and win her second game in a row. Wedick pitched six superb innings, limiting Morton to zero runs off three hits, three walks, and 10 strikeouts. The Lancers would go on to win their fifth straight 8-0, but it came at a price. Wedick’s great pitching was cut short after a sharply hit line-drive hit off her arm and ended her game, which raised concern for an already hurt pitching rotation.
Injuries seem to be a recurring part of the women’s season so far. Wedick’s arm injury, which later revealed no break to her arm or wrist, was only the latest injury to the Lancers this year.
Pitcher Becky Taylor suffered a concussion March 23 against Kishwaukee. She was playing first base and while making a play, she was run into by an opposing player’s knee to her head; she hasn’t played since the injury. Infielder and outfielder Melisa Ori has been dealing with a wrist injury, but it hasn’t kept her out of games this year. Charmagne Black, infield and outfield, had a sprained ankle but didn’t miss much time. Infielder Leslie Fletcher has been bothered by shoulder tendonitis which has limited her to hitting only. She hasn’t been able to play defense yet. Infielder and outfielder Maddie Riordan had a quad injury that slowed her down.
So far this year only four of the twelve women haven’t been injured and only one pitcher has been healthy, Ruetsche. Most of the girls are playing with a few nicks and bruises.
“We can’t chew gum and walk at the same time without getting injured,” Coach Garcia jokingly said.
She added, “When we are healthy and playing in the correct positions, spirits are up and we look good together,” which is something she stressed early in the year that she wanted to see improvement in.
The Lancers were scheduled to play McHenry April 8, but due to the weather, the games were rescheduled for Thurs. April 26. The extra days to rest helped the women heal up and rest for a tough schedule that weekend. Putting the five game win streak on the line, the women were ready to play in the Highland Community College Tournament. The Lancers knew they would have a tough couple of games and they wanted to keep winning against tougher opponents.
The woman had to play five games that weekend at the Highland Community College Tournament, their first of three games on Sat. April 10. They lost their game against Carl Sandburg College 6-2 and put an end to the win streak. The Lancers rebounded from the loss by beating their next opponent, Illinois Valley Community College 6-3 and winning the second game Saturday. The women played South Suburban College and hoped to end Saturday on a good note, but lost the game 4-1. They ended Saturday with a record of 2-1.
Sunday would prove challenging as well for the Lancers, as they dropped both games played.
The first game was against Sauk Valley College and ended with a score of 10-1. The second game was played against Highland Community College and ended with a score of 7-2. Injuries affected the team from playing at their best and the Lancers ended the tournament with a record of 1-4, not quite what they had hoped for, especially taking a five game winning streak into the tournament.
The Lancers looked to start off the week on a high note on the road. They visited Elgin Community College Tues., Ruetsche pitched game one. She pitched well, giving up four hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. The score was close most of the game until the bottom of the fifth, when the Lancers starting hitting the ball. They scored seven total runs in the fifth, with two outs. The highlight of the inning was Taylor’s two run double. Taylor was playing her first non-tournament game since her concussion. Black contributed with two hits.
In game two, the Lancers looked to take both games from Elgin. However, Taylor took the loss, as the Lancers lost by a score of 11-5. The Lancers committed six errors for nine unearned runs. The bats weren’t there, as the Lancers could only pick up three hits from Kellie Kraft, Ruetsche, and Riordan.
Despite fighting through injuries this year, the Lancers had some outstanding players. Three of Coach Garcia’s players are currently placed in the top 50 National Junior College Athletic Association athletes list.
Although injured, Taylor is ranked 47 out of 50 in earned run average (ERA) with and ERA of 1.62 in two games as a pitcher.
Also ranked as a top 50 pitcher is Ruetsche, who is ranked 46 on the strike out list with 35 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts, an average of 0.94 strikeouts per inning. Ruetsche was also named athlete of the week for the week of March 29. During the week of Ruetsche pitched two games and posted a record of two wins, sporting a perfect ERA of 0.00. Both wins had scores of 14-0. She gave up three hits, three walks and struck out 14 batters. She played four games in total and had a batting average of .538, while scoring seven runs, driving in 11, hitting a double, a triple, and two home runs.
Also on the strikeout leader list with Ruetsche, is Wedick. Wedick is ranked 43 of 50, with 25 innings pitched and 24 strikeouts, bringing her to an average of 0.96 strikeouts per inning.
Also recognized for her outstanding play was freshman Valerie Brzezinski, who was named athlete of the week for the week of March 22. She had a batting average of .444 and sparked the five game win streak with the game winning hit March 27 against South Suburban College. She committed zero errors on defense.
The Lancers were scheduled to play against Oakton Community College April 6 but, due to the weather, the game was rescheduled for Mon. April 19.
Staff Writer
With a rocky start to kick off the 2010 women’s softball season, Coach Susan Garcia hoped her team would pick it up on the defensive and offensive end and win more games. They did just that with some style by winning five games in a row. During the five game win streak, the Lancers bats were on fire and their pitching and defense were lights out. The women outscored their opponents 52-6 during the win streak. Coach Garcia said, “It’s good to have wins and be in a grove.”
Dropping their first game in the Kankakee Tournament against Grand Rapids Community College by 8-6, the Lancers quickly put that loss behind them and prepared to rebound against South Suburban College.
With the women determined to comeback and end the tournament on a good note, they defeated South Suburban College 4-2 and didn’t look back. Only able to play two of the three tournament games, the third game cancelled due to weather, the Lancers were ready to build on their last win and have the momentum carry over when they hosted Harper College at home.
The first game against Harper College, sophomore Heather Ruetsche took the mound and was absolutely dominant. She pitched five near perfect innings, limited Harper to two hits, one walk and no runs. She hit her spots and struck out seven batters. Ruetsche helped her own cause by going 2 for 3 at the plate. She had four RBI, coming off a double and a home run. She scored three runs. The Lancers won that game 14-0 and extended their winning streak to two games.
In the second game against Harper College, freshman Monika Wedick, scattered six hits, one walk, six strikeouts and limited Harper to three runs in five innings. She won the game 12-3 and extended the women’s win streak to three games.
The Lancers would go on the road and play Morton College for their next two games. Ruetsche, hoped to keep the momentum rolling and help her team win the first game against Morton College after an outstanding game against Harper College., Ruetsche was almost identical to her last game, near perfect, as she pitched five innings and only gave up one hit and three walks, while striking out seven and giving up no runs. She was perfect at the plate, going 3 for 3 by hitting three singles. She drove in three runs and scored two, herself. The Lancers won by the same score as Ruetsche’s last outing, 14-0, and extended the win streak to four games.
Game two against Morton College, Wedick was ready to keep the streak going and win her second game in a row. Wedick pitched six superb innings, limiting Morton to zero runs off three hits, three walks, and 10 strikeouts. The Lancers would go on to win their fifth straight 8-0, but it came at a price. Wedick’s great pitching was cut short after a sharply hit line-drive hit off her arm and ended her game, which raised concern for an already hurt pitching rotation.
Injuries seem to be a recurring part of the women’s season so far. Wedick’s arm injury, which later revealed no break to her arm or wrist, was only the latest injury to the Lancers this year.
Pitcher Becky Taylor suffered a concussion March 23 against Kishwaukee. She was playing first base and while making a play, she was run into by an opposing player’s knee to her head; she hasn’t played since the injury. Infielder and outfielder Melisa Ori has been dealing with a wrist injury, but it hasn’t kept her out of games this year. Charmagne Black, infield and outfield, had a sprained ankle but didn’t miss much time. Infielder Leslie Fletcher has been bothered by shoulder tendonitis which has limited her to hitting only. She hasn’t been able to play defense yet. Infielder and outfielder Maddie Riordan had a quad injury that slowed her down.
So far this year only four of the twelve women haven’t been injured and only one pitcher has been healthy, Ruetsche. Most of the girls are playing with a few nicks and bruises.
“We can’t chew gum and walk at the same time without getting injured,” Coach Garcia jokingly said.
She added, “When we are healthy and playing in the correct positions, spirits are up and we look good together,” which is something she stressed early in the year that she wanted to see improvement in.
The Lancers were scheduled to play McHenry April 8, but due to the weather, the games were rescheduled for Thurs. April 26. The extra days to rest helped the women heal up and rest for a tough schedule that weekend. Putting the five game win streak on the line, the women were ready to play in the Highland Community College Tournament. The Lancers knew they would have a tough couple of games and they wanted to keep winning against tougher opponents.
The woman had to play five games that weekend at the Highland Community College Tournament, their first of three games on Sat. April 10. They lost their game against Carl Sandburg College 6-2 and put an end to the win streak. The Lancers rebounded from the loss by beating their next opponent, Illinois Valley Community College 6-3 and winning the second game Saturday. The women played South Suburban College and hoped to end Saturday on a good note, but lost the game 4-1. They ended Saturday with a record of 2-1.
Sunday would prove challenging as well for the Lancers, as they dropped both games played.
The first game was against Sauk Valley College and ended with a score of 10-1. The second game was played against Highland Community College and ended with a score of 7-2. Injuries affected the team from playing at their best and the Lancers ended the tournament with a record of 1-4, not quite what they had hoped for, especially taking a five game winning streak into the tournament.
The Lancers looked to start off the week on a high note on the road. They visited Elgin Community College Tues., Ruetsche pitched game one. She pitched well, giving up four hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. The score was close most of the game until the bottom of the fifth, when the Lancers starting hitting the ball. They scored seven total runs in the fifth, with two outs. The highlight of the inning was Taylor’s two run double. Taylor was playing her first non-tournament game since her concussion. Black contributed with two hits.
In game two, the Lancers looked to take both games from Elgin. However, Taylor took the loss, as the Lancers lost by a score of 11-5. The Lancers committed six errors for nine unearned runs. The bats weren’t there, as the Lancers could only pick up three hits from Kellie Kraft, Ruetsche, and Riordan.
Despite fighting through injuries this year, the Lancers had some outstanding players. Three of Coach Garcia’s players are currently placed in the top 50 National Junior College Athletic Association athletes list.
Although injured, Taylor is ranked 47 out of 50 in earned run average (ERA) with and ERA of 1.62 in two games as a pitcher.
Also ranked as a top 50 pitcher is Ruetsche, who is ranked 46 on the strike out list with 35 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts, an average of 0.94 strikeouts per inning. Ruetsche was also named athlete of the week for the week of March 29. During the week of Ruetsche pitched two games and posted a record of two wins, sporting a perfect ERA of 0.00. Both wins had scores of 14-0. She gave up three hits, three walks and struck out 14 batters. She played four games in total and had a batting average of .538, while scoring seven runs, driving in 11, hitting a double, a triple, and two home runs.
Also on the strikeout leader list with Ruetsche, is Wedick. Wedick is ranked 43 of 50, with 25 innings pitched and 24 strikeouts, bringing her to an average of 0.96 strikeouts per inning.
Also recognized for her outstanding play was freshman Valerie Brzezinski, who was named athlete of the week for the week of March 22. She had a batting average of .444 and sparked the five game win streak with the game winning hit March 27 against South Suburban College. She committed zero errors on defense.
The Lancers were scheduled to play against Oakton Community College April 6 but, due to the weather, the game was rescheduled for Mon. April 19.
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