Taylor Splits to End Spring Break at 6-4

March 26, 2009

Playing against Calvin College and College of St. Catherine, the Taylor softball team ended the Tucson Invitational with a 6-4 record. In the first game of the day, mistakes led to a 9-2 loss against Calvin. In the finale for Taylor, a battle with College of St. Catherine ended with TU on top, 8-6.

Against Calvin, the Trojans offense and defense were not as sharp as previous games. Taylor recorded 9 hits in the game, but not one TU batter recorded more than one hit, which was a first for the 10-game tournament. Calvin ended up with 13 hits on the day versus two Taylor pitchers. In the end it was the 7 errors by the Trojans that ended up allowing Calvin to take the game.

Freshman Kristen Bauer started for Taylor, facing 22 batters in 3 2/3 innings. Calvin managed 9 hits and 6 runs while Bauer struck out 1. Senior Jill Tomaszewski came on in relief and struck out 5 while allowing only 4 hits. In the end TU could not muster the offense needed and fell by the final of 9-2.

Against The College of St. Catherine, the Trojan fighting spirit returned as Taylor took the game in a close 8-6 battle. Taylor finished the week on a high note by relying on a big inning and playing enough defense to get the job done. Taylor used a 6-run second inning to put enough distance from the Wildcats for the victory.

Staff ace Jess Fankhauser returned to the mound against St. Kate's and pitched well. Fankhauser struck out 3 while spreading out 9 hits and 6 runs. Fankhauser ended up with a 3-1 record on the week.

Leading the Taylor offense were four players with multiple hits. Laurie Shumaker and Jill Tomaszewski each had 2 hits, while the extra base hits belonged to Liz Lewellen and Jess Fankhauser. Lewellen recorded a double and a triple, while Fankhauser added a triple to her pitching duties.

The 8-6 win allowed Taylor to continue to hug the .500 line at 11-11. It was a successful trip into the Tucson sun as TU went 6-4 on the week. Taylor now returns to Upland, and Mid Central Conference play. The next matchup comes on Thursday, April 2 against conference powerhouse No. 9 Bethel College in Upland.