Su Pardo ’16 Shines as Softball Takes Series from Hamilton

, by Michael Sheldon, Staff Writer

The softball team hosted Hamilton this past weekend for a series of three NESCAC games over the course of two days. The first game started on Friday, April 4, but all three games were finished on Saturday after Friday’s game was postponed due to weather. The Cards took two of the three games, improving their NESCAC record to 2-3 and their overall record to 9-10.

On Friday, Su Pardo ’16 was scheduled to start, but was taken out due to illness after facing just one batter. Captain Laura Getchell ’14 was called to the mound in relief, where she struggled over the following 5.2 innings. Getchell allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 12 hits. Four of Hamilton’s seven runs were scored in the top of the third inning, which put the Cardinals into a 4-1 hole.

This deficit proved too large for the Wesleyan hitters to make up; the only Cardinals who managed more than two hits were Jill Gately ’15 and Mollie Grunat ’16. By the time the game was postponed in the sixth inning, Hamilton led 7-3, which would stand as the game’s final score.

However, there was good news for the Cardinals in the final inning of that first game. Pardo was able to reenter the game when it was picked up again on Saturday and take the mound for Wesleyan, facing six batters and getting through a scoreless seventh inning. For Pardo, it was a return to form, and she was only getting started.

She started the following game and completely mowed through the Hamilton lineup. Pardo allowed just one hit while going the distance, earning her fourth complete-game shutout of the year. Pardo also recorded seven strikeouts over the course of the win.

This time, the Cardinal offense woke up as well. Leadoff hitter and Captain Amy Lindland ’14 reached base three times, twice on singles and once by drawing a walk. All three times, her teammates brought her around to score. Abigail Rutt ’17 went 3-for-4, knocking in four RBIs. Gately added two hits of her own, crushing one of them for a home run.

When the dust settled on Game 2, the Cardinals came out on top in a dominating 7-0 victory. And Pardo was still not done dominating from the hill.

Head Softball Coach Jen Lane decided to have Pardo start again in the third game, the back-end of the scheduled Saturday doubleheader, and the decision paid off. Though Pardo was not quite as flawless as she had been in the series’ second game, she did hold Hamilton to just two runs over the course of another complete seven-inning performance, giving the Cardinals offense more than enough opportunity to secure a victory.

Lindland reached base three times once again, this time reaching on singles on all three instances. Gately belted another home run, and this time Rutt joined her in going yard. Wesleyan scored seven runs for the second game in a row, winning 7-2 to close out the series.

Needless to say, it was a huge weekend for Pardo. Allowing just two runs in her 15 total innings, Pardo is now 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA and 32 strikeouts over her last four games. Perhaps even more importantly, this weekend saw the Wesleyan offense doing its job, far better than it had just a week ago against Amherst. If the Cardinals can continue to produce similarly going forward, they will have little trouble contending for a postseason berth.

One lingering concern that remains is the depth of Wesleyan’s pitching staff as a whole. Wesleyan has two pitchers other than Pardo: Getchell and Amanda Roosa ’16, who are sporting ERAs of 6.36 and 8.35, respectively. These two ERAs are currently the two worst in the NESCAC, and the Cardinals are going to need to do better than that in order to replicate last year’s success. However, if this weekend is any indication, maybe Pardo doesn’t need any help to win games.

  • David Getchell

    Maybe if you knew the facts about Laura Getchell you may understand her current . She is recovering from Wrist and Finger surgery having had two ligaments reattached
    on her throwing hand this past November. She was not scheduled to pitch in
    Florida and did so when asked. She was supposed to throw only 2-3 innings at
    the most at any one time. She clearly has continued to work through the pain
    and swelling for the benefit of the team. She has more Guts and Fortitude than
    she gets credit for. Maybe you could do an article on how the team has
    persevered despite their injuries this season.
    Su is a very good pitcher and the team is fortunate to have her
    healthy. It still takes a team to Win or Lose. Give some credit to two pitchers
    and there teammates that are doing their best to help the team!

  • Mickey Mantle

    “THE MAN IN THE ARENA”

    It is not the critic who counts; not the man who
    points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds
    could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
    actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and
    blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and
    again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but
    who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,
    the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at
    the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who
    at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so
    that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
    neither know victory nor defeat.

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