The softball team rebounded from a nine-game skid to split a doubleheader with the Trinity Bantams on Saturday. Playing to Trinity’s home field advantage, the Cardinals won convincingly 8-2 in the first game, but were blanked 3-0 the second time around. Wes holds an 8-15 record overall and currently sits in fourth place in the NESCAC West Division with a 2-6 record.
The Cardinals had to bounce back from two tough losses at the hands of Little Three rival Williams College and Eastern Connecticut State University over the past weekend.
In the first game against Williams, the Ephs were hot at the plate, scratching out two runs. The Cardinals returned with two runs of their own in the top of the third, but the Ephs went out and got two more going up 4-2 the next inning. The Cardinals eventually took themselves out of the game by committing three errors, and ended up losing 7-2.
During the second game, the Eph’s pitching staff did not allow a single hit and handed the Cardinals a stinging 4-0 loss.
Against Eastern Connecticut State, the Cardinals fared only slightly better. The Cardinals only managed three hits in the doubleheader and did not score a run for the entire series, dropping the games 1-0 in eight innings, and 3-0 in the second.
The Cardinals team coming into Tuesday’s game against Trinity was a very different squad. Wes scored first in the second inning with Stacie Szmonko ’07 knocking in a run, but the Bantams quickly countered in the bottom of the inning. Diana Garcia ’06 and Vicky Russo ’07 brought home two more for the Cardinals as they took a 3-2 lead into the fourth inning. The bases were empty for two innings as neither team could put it together to get any runs, but in the sixth the Cardinals more than made up. On five big hits, the Cardinals brought home five runs to cap off the game. The Cardinals exploded for hits in the game with thirteen and took it 8-2. Pitcher Allie Zoromski ’07 recorded her third win on the season with the first game win over Trinity.
“The win against Trinity in the first game was a great team effort. Our bats came alive and we did some good things on the base paths,” said head coach Jenn Shea. “We were very solid defensively and did a great job supporting pitcher Allie Zoromski in both games.”
“In the first game, we really started to hit the ball. In the games before that, we have had problems getting good hitting, fielding and pitching in one game. This time everything came through,” Russo said.
But in the second game, the Cardinals fell short. Unable to get any runs and only managing two hits, the Cardinals dug themselves into an early hole. Both teams were exhibiting exhaustion from the earlier contest and scoring came down to the wire, with the Bantams finally putting runs on the board in the fifth inning. Wes had no answers and dropped the game 3-0.
The Cardinals next game is Saturday at home against Tufts University at 11 a.m. The Jumbos have the first place seed in the NESCAC East Division with a 6-2 record. This is an important one for the Cardinals as they try to gain a higher seed for the NESCAC tournament.
“Our biggest challenge will be the doubleheader against Tufts this Saturday. Tufts has won the NESCAC championship the last four years and is heading to the NESCAC tournament again this year,” Shea said, “If we continue to play solid defense, have good pitching and hit the ball like we are capable of, then there’s no reason we can’t beat them. We have 6 games left and are capable of winning all of them.”
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