Softball team prepares for conference play
The Chadron State College softball team was on the road again this weekend in hopes of picking up some wins against another group of tough opponents in the West Texas Woodward Invitational.
Friday, the Eagles matched up against Tarleton State University and Midwestern State University, respectively.
The Eagles dug themselves into a hole both games, allowing five runs to the opposition in the first inning of each.
Against Tarleton State, the Eagles managed to climb out of the hole, scoring six unanswered runs to take a 6-5 lead going into the final inning. But Tarleton State came up big when it mattered, holding the Eagles scoreless in the inning and following with a three-run homerun to close the game out with a 9-6 victory.
Despite the loss, the Eagles received a handful of production from a number of players. Casey Polk, senior catcher of Golden, Colorado, and Courtney Lecher, sophomore shortstop of Fort Collins, Colorado, each went 3-for-4 to lead the offense. Lecher also contributed two RBIs for the Eagles, while Jessica Eatmon, senior outfielder of Broomfield, Colorado, hit a two-run homerun.
Midwestern State’s quick start set the tone for the game. The Eagles were not able to respond like in the previous game.
Chadron State fell, 15-7, in a six-inning game that Midwestern State controlled from start to finish.
Saturday, the Eagles returned to the field to face Texas Woman’s University and defending national champion and No. 1 ranked West Texas A&M University.
The Eagles took off to an early 3-2 lead after the first inning against TWU, but the Pioneers exploded for an 11-run second inning, scoring three more in the following inning to take a 16-3 lead through three.
The fourth inning brought a bit of new life to the Eagles, who battled with resilience to make the game interesting. They scored three runs in the inning and held TWU scoreless. The Eagles followed that inning with an eight-run inning to cut the deficit to 17-14 at the end of the fifth.
Despite the battle back, the Pioneers closed the game outscoring the Eagles 5-1 in the final two innings to take a 22-15 victory.
“I took away to never give up when you are down, because we were down 11 runs at one point and made a huge comeback and were close to winning the game,” Lecher said. She led the Eagles with another 3-for-4 effort, scoring three runs to go with three RBIs.
The Eagles struggled against the defending national champions, falling in five, 16-0. West Texas A&M’s good pitching, coupled with CSC’s lack of the same was primarily responsible.
On the final day of the Invitational, CSC looked to snatch a couple of wins against Cameron University and No. 11-ranked Angelo State University.
Against Cameron, the Eagles grabbed an early 1-0 lead after the first inning, but failed to score again until the final frame. Cameron was persistent and took a 2-1 lead over the Eagles in the fourth.
Cameron scored four runs off three doubles in the sixth inning to put the Eagles away. Chadron State made a quick run at a comeback in the final inning, but could only manage two more runs and Cameron would go on to win 6-3.
Polk went a perfect 3-for-3, and Taylor Bauer, sophomore infielder of Rapid City, South Dakota, also pitched in three base hits.
The Eagles ended non-conference play against No. 11 Angelo State University.
The Rams let their presence be known, scoring six runs off their first six batters, and adding two more runs in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead. They would go on to score three more runs in the fourth and shut the Eagles out in a five innings run rule.
“I feel like we need to work on little things,” Lecher said. “We really don’t have any major things to work on, but one thing I did notice from the past two weekends is communication. We need to always be talking, whether defensively or offensively.”
The Eagles will begin RMAC play against Colorado State University-Pueblo and Western New Mexico University this weekend in Silver City, New Mexico.