Softball Starts Spring Break with a Victory

March 21, 2009

In sunny Tucson, Arizona, the Taylor softball team started off their 10-game week well, winning their first while losing their second on day one. TU beat Trinity Christian 11-7. In the second game of the day, Missouri Valley beat the Trojans 8-4.

In the opener Taylor started off scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. After Trinity fought back to within one in the third, the offenses traded big innings in the fifth to decide the game. TCU scored 4 in the top of the fifth to take the 7-4 lead, but it was again a big inning by the Taylor bats that led to the win. TU plated 7 runs in the bottom half of the fifth to finish off the Trolls by the score of 11-7.

Taylor pounded out 17 hits on the game, a season best. Led by leadoff hitter Emily Kramer and cleanup hitter Lindsey Arnold, a balanced offense allowed for the victory. Kramer went 3-for-5 with a triple, and Arnold was 4-for-4, while sophomore Maggie Burns sent home three Lady Trojans, getting three RBIs on two hits.

Kristen Bauer was the starting pitcher, going 4 solid innings. She struck out 7, had no walks and also added a 2-for-2 day at the plate. Coming on in relief was Jessica Fankhauser, pitching 3 innings, striking out two, and not allowing any hits to gain the victory. The win raises TU's record to 6-7, while Trinity Christian falls to 1-16.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Taylor faced off against the Vikings of Missouri Valley College. The Vikings came into the game riding high after defeating the #5 team in the nation, Dickinson State, the day before. Missouri Valley continued their run, beating TU by the score of 8-4.

Senior Jill Tomaszewski was called upon to pitch and performed well against the quality Viking side. Tomaszewski pitched a complete game, and struck out 5 batters while only walking 2. In the end the Missouri bats were too much for the Trojans, as they pounded out 12 hits on the day. MVC jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but Taylor continued to fight back and never gave up, scoring 4 unanswered runs.

The offense continued to play well, recording 10 hits in game two. Unfortunately TU also left 8 runners on base, and were not able to capitalize on enough opportunities to close out the comeback bid. Freshman Laura Strode continued to swing the sticks well, recording 3 hits and an RBI. Fellow freshman Alyssa Brodbeck also recorded two hits and an RBI. The two seniors Lindsey's played well with Lindsey Stone going 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBIs, while Arnold continued her hot hand going 2-for-4 with a double.

Arnold ended the day 6-for-8 at the plate and the Taylor offense accumulated 27 hits. The TU defense was also solid, having only 2 errors on the day. The split of the doubleheader moves Taylor to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in the MCC.

The Trojan offense will look to continue swinging the bats well in their next set of games. After a day of rest, the Tucson Invitational resumes as Taylor takes on St. Olaf College College and Buena Vista University on Monday, March 23. Game one starts at 9 a.m. and the second game is at 1:30 p.m. local time.