Returning for the first games since their time spent in Florida, the Blue Jays finish this week against Dickinson College and Moravian College with a 1-3 record. Shortly after reaching a season-high of 14 runs in the second game Wednesday, March 25, against Dickinson, the losses come as learning experience for both players and coaches.
“After every game we evaluate and learn from our experiences. [We] try to be better today than we were yesterday,” Head Softball Coach Kathy Staib said on the games this past week. Their effort toward improvement was evident in their rally against Dickinson Wednesday during the first inning of the second game. Senior Becky Becher began the first inning with a single, followed by sophomore Kirstin Blass’s first career homerun, preparing the team for a take-off lead of 6-0. Career highs were also set by sophomore Kelsey Brown and senior Laura Tomasetti.
“It was definitely a surreal feeling and I couldn’t help but smile as I went around the bases,” Blass said on her first college homerun. “I think that this really pumped everyone on the team up, and they followed suit and hit the ball hard in almost every at bat we had.”
This burst of energy in the first inning was able to carry the Blue Jays to a 14-7 win for the second game against the Red Devils with a final record of 1-1 for Wednesday’s doubleheader. This win came after their 10-6 loss to Dickinson the previous game. “One of our goals that we made as a team is to not be swept on game days. We were very happy that we were able to accomplish this goal and bounce back to take game two,” Blass said.
The next doubleheader followed Friday with less favorable outcomes. The girls softball team travelled to Bethlehem, Pa., to play Moravian in back-to-back conference games with a final record of 0-2 for the Blue Jays. The Greyhounds were able to quiet the Blue Jays’ offense during both games, winning 2-0 in the first game and 7-0 in the second.
Although their offense was not able to push through, the Blue Jays’ defense was managed to remain strong. “We hit the ball well at times against Moravian but couldn’t bunch them together for run production,” Staib said. “Defensively we committed one error in the doubleheader.”
The first game began with senior Kelly Krause pitching her way out of a tough first inning. The rest of the game followed with more key defensive plays by Blass and sophomore Kelsey Brown to keep the game a scoreless tie until the fourth inning. By the fifth, the Greyhounds were able to crack through defense, scoring their runs on a two-run homerun to left center. Krause pitched the full game allowing only seven hits and the two runs.
Game two began with Moravian scoring their game winning seven runs all within the first three innings. Seniors Jordan Nowacki, Laura Tomasetti and Kaylee Werner were all able to get on base early in the game, but the Blue Jays’ offense could not force any runs. Moravian’s starting pitcher Amanda Carison was able to finish allowing only three hits to hold their 7-0 lead.
Despite the three losses this week, the Blue Jays are focusing on where they stand now. “After our games, our coach is gives us the opportunity to discuss as a team what we did well and what we didn’t do well. I think that this type of approach is effective because we get the chance to recognize what we could fix,” Blass said.
“This is team number 37. Each season that group of players creates their own legacy,” Staib said. “We don’t compare one team with another as each team is its own. Our goal is to develop each team to reach its fullest potential.”
The Blue Jays will host Juniata College on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
