After fighting the weather for over a month, women?s softball finally hosted its first home game with a strong performance against the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Despite losing 6-0, 3-0 in their first double header at the Graduate Living Center diamond, Coach Kris Shanley was pleased with the team?s efforts.
?We played very well. Our offense in the first game was great against an excellent pitcher from RIT,? Shanley said.
?Although the score may not show it, defensively we played outstandingly. In both games, one mistake snowballed a bit and that?s where they scored their runs ? I?ll take two mistakes in two games any day.?
?I think it was a great team effort,? said sophomore center-fielder Val Palermo. ?Everyone made a great play at some point during the game.?
?We set certain goals before the game and did a good job executing most of them ? we made great plays on defense, we just need to get the bats going,? she said.
Shanley praised junior infielders and co-captains Nellie Coats and Kristy Krivickas for their strong defensive play.
The pair pulled off two outstanding double plays. ?Nellie and Kristy caught two line drives that would?ve taken anyone else?s heads off and finished two unconventional double plays,? she said.
Similarly, Shanley was also pleased with the pitching of freshmen Melissa Arms and Kathy Gagne and praised some of the more inexperienced players for stepping up and contributing.
?Melissa and Kathy both pitched very well. They are staying focused and getting better every day they go out. It?s also great to see that new people in the lineup have stepped up and done some nice things,? Shanley added.
Softball wrapped up its three-day play with a game at Buffalo State University yesterday. Buffalo State went to the National Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs last year and Shanley notes the traditional strength of the Bengals.
However, the Yellowjackets managed to pick up a win in the first of the double-header, winning 7-3.
The women also showed great effort in the second game, despite its 2-1 loss. UR forced Buffalo State to go into one extra inning.
The Yellowjackets are now 1-14 overall as they prepare to head on the road to face University Collegiate Athletic Association opponents Hamilton and Union Colleges this weekend.These colleges currently hold 4-12 and 5-2-1 records respectively.
Shanley said that these games promise to be competitive and will be a test of both Hamilton and Union. Hamilton has not played a game since April 1 and Union is still looking to play its first game after traveling south for spring break.
?We?ll just be happy to get out and play,? she said. ?Neither team has played in a while, which evens out the playing field.?
