Softball team swings into season, drops 6 in Florida

The Chadron State softball team dropped six this weekend when they traveled to Clearwater, Florida, to compete in the Eckerd College Invitational.

On the Eagles’ first day out, they made things interesting in both games. Matching up first against the host, Eckerd College, CSC fell short by a score of 4-3, though they were in control of the game until the final inning.

The Eagles got the ball rolling in the second inning, in which Zoe Humphries, sophomore catcher of Arvada, Colorado, bombed a solo homerun to score the first run of the game. A double by Courtney Lecher, sophomore shortstop of Fort Collins, Colorado, kept things going, and Taylor Bauer, sophomore infielder of Rapid City, South Dakota, followed with a single to bring Lecher home.

Following the second inning, the Eagles struggled to put any more runs on the board, scoring only once more through the sixth inning, but holding Eckerd to just one run through the sixth inning.

The Eagles owned a 3-1 lead entering the final inning, but fell apart, giving up a walk-off double with the bases loaded.

Not having time to harp on the loss, the Eagles’ next opponent, Barry University, was waiting for them on another field.

Scoreless through four innings, CSC trailed 3-0 heading into the fifth, where they scored the first of two total runs.

Barry would also score once more to secure a 4-2 victory over the Eagles.

Chadron State was back in action Saturday for games against Saint Leo University and the No. 17-ranked University of Tampa.

The Eagles got off to a good start against Saint Leo, jumping out to a 2-0 lead behind a single from Casey Polk, senior catcher of Golden, Colorado, who brought home Lecher and Rebecca Wetsch, senior outfielder of Erie, Colorado.

In the second, Saint Leo would respond with a four-run inning that the Eagles were unable to bounce back from. Saint Leo would score in each following inning to pull away and defeat the Eagles, 12-2.

Again, Chadron State had new life, matching up against All-American pitcher Julia Morrow, senior of Baiting Hollow, New York, and the University of Tampa shortly afterward.

The Eagles fought tough in the game, holding Tampa to only one run through four innings despite scoring none themselves. But in the fifth inning, Tampa scored three runs behind three walks and three singles.

Tampa went on to win the game 4-0.

On the third and final day of the Invitational, CSC matched up with Palm Beach Atlantic University and Lynn University.

The Eagles came out hungry against PBA, with Bauer, Wetsch, and Jessica Eatmon, senior outfielder of Broomfield, Colorado, giving CSC three consecutive hits. However, PBA still managed to escape the inning without giving up a run.

Chadron State was held scoreless, and PBA ran away with the game after scoring four runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead. They went on to win, 10-0.

The Eagles found themselves down 2-0 to Lynn University early on, but bounced back in the third with Lecher reaching for a single up the middle, stealing second, and being brought home by a Polk single.

Down 2-1 after the third, the Eagles committed two errors in contribution to giving up five runs in the fourth. Bekka Prokaski, sophomore infielder of Broomfield, Colorado, went on to score one more run for the Eagles after placing a bunt and being brought home by Aspen Eubanks, freshman infielder of Broomfield, Colorado.

Despite their fighting effort, the Eagles fell to Lynn, 9-2.

Although they did not conclude the weekend in the fashion that they would have liked, the Eagles did good things and used the experience as a learning tool.

“I think we learned a lot about ourselves individually and as a team this weekend,” Wetsch said. “I believe we also learned that this game requires a lot more mental strength than most people think. The scores of our games do not directly reflect what we have accomplished so far, and they do not reflect how great of a team we really are.”

The team has demonstrated throughout the preseason their care for one another, and they feel like it will propel them to perform well this season.

“I feel as though our team is extremely close now,” Eubanks said. “When we were out there, all we had was each other to fall back on. The trip was definitely something we needed.”

The Eagles will be back at it next weekend, as they will travel to compete in the West Texas Woodward Invitational.

“We need to produce runs,” Wetsch said. “There’s no doubt about that. I believe that we need to go back and focus on the fundamentals and getting mentally stronger.”