The Shorewomen finish off their season with a 6-8 overall for the 2020 year
By Jensyn Hartzell
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College Women’s Softball team flew out to Minneola, Florida to compete during their spring break, which also doubled as the end of their season.
Junior Chrissy Segrest said, “I think the season overall was going well. We are an extremely talented group. Everyone had a role, from the seniors all the way to the freshman. And not just with softball, everyone loves each other off the field. We are so close knit, we all hang out together in our free time. It’s really such a shame knowing our season has ended and knowing we can’t continue to grow as a group.”
Nevertheless, the Shorewomen played on for their last week of competition.
On Sunday, March8, the Shorewomen were able to kick things off with two wins; their first opponent being Gordon College’s Fighting Scots.
The Shorewomen were first to score when sophomore Megan Robbins hit two out of a single, and senior Leah Stokes was able to score at the bottom of the first. Going into the bottom of the second, junior Grace Moery was able to touch home to raise their lead two after a double to center field from senior Rachel Butler.
The Scots tied the game in the sixth inning, which extended the game, but the Shorewomen were able to come together and win. The score ended at 5-2; WC had six hits, drew four walks, and left six runners on base.
Later that same day, WC competed against Penn State Altoona. Both teams scored once in the first and third inning, but WC began a streak in the fifth, with Moery and Robbins getting to home.
A single up the middle from freshman Avery Brynes led to junior Julia Hallman scoring to make the score 5-2.
Penn State scored twice more in the sixth, but the Shorewomen were able to score seven times in the seventh inning to finalize their win. They collected 12 hits, drew 10 walks, and left 12 runners on base.
Brynes also became the first freshman Shorewomen in 20 years to win her first three career starts and led the Conference in strikeouts at 31 at the time.
On Monday, March 9, they faced North Central College in another victorious game; , this particular game being only five innings. Stokes scored on a single from freshman Lexi Witmer, which gave them a 1-0 lead.
They scored once again in the second and five times in the third. The final drive home came from senior Jenna Gordon after a two out double from Moery in the fourth inning.
The score ended at 8-0, WC. The team picked up 11 hits, drew two walks, left five runners on base, and committed no errors on defense.
The second game on Monday was the Shorewomen’s first loss in Florida, played against University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
At the top of the second inning, UMass-Dartmouth was able to score seven times, while WC was only able to hit home once. At the bottom of the third, Robbins hit a single to allow Gordon to drive home, which was followed by two more points; the score being 7-4 going into the fourth inning.
Dartmouth increased their lead once again to 11-4 in the top of the fourth, but WC was only able to score once in the fourth and twice more in the fifth to finalize the score at 11-7, Mass-Dartmouth.
The next day, WC split games again. Their first against Northwestern, the Shorewomen’s win of the day. Both teams did not score until the third inning; Northwestern only scored once, while WC touched home three times.
In the top of the third, Hallman scored on a single hit down left field by freshman Kayla Booros. Butler hit a two-run double a few batters after, allowing Booros and sophomore Alyssa Viera to score. Northwestern scored once more in the fifth inning, but WC still won the game at 3-2 with five hits, four walks, and eight left on base.
The next game was played with nine innings against Trinity University. In the bottom of the first, Moery hit a two-out single that allowed Witmer and sophomore Rachel DiMarcello to score their only two points of the game.
Trinity scored once in the third, fifth, and ninth inning to win the game at 3-2. WC had six hits in the game, three walks, and left 12 on base; they only committed one error.
After a break day, the Shorewomen were back on the field against Belhaven University’s Blazers on Thursday, March 12. They were able to score twice in the second inning. Hallman was able to score off of a fielder’s choice in the third inning, but this would be the only point the Shorewomen would get in the game.
The Blazers scored three times more in the fifth and twice in the final inning to finalize the game’s score at 7-1, Belhaven. WC had five hits, worked three walks and left six on base. Stokes was able to achieve hitting 100 hits during the game.
The next game that day, WC faced Saint Mary’s (Ind.). Neither team was able to score until the fifth inning, where Saint Mary’s scored once. The 1-0 lead by them would be until the end of the game. The Shorewomen were able to get two hits in the game, had one walk, left five on base, and committed no errors.
On their final day, Friday, the Shorewomen started off their day against Lakeland College. WC scored once in the bottom of the first inning, but Lakeland went on to score four points in the third inning. WC scored again in the fifth, but was once again bested by Lakeland, who scored two in the inning. The final score ended at 4-3, Lakeland. But the Shorewomen had 13 hits, one walk, and left seven on the bases.
WC’s final game was against Mount St. Joseph College. The Shorewomen were able to steal the lead early in the game; Moery stole home following a walk from Segrest with two away.
Mount St. Joseph scored four times in the third inning and twice in the fifth, making the final score of the game 6-2, Mount. The Shorewomen committed two errors, but had five hits in the game, worked out three walks, and left 12 on base.
This week has sadly become the final week of the Shorewomen’s season as the spread of COVID-19 has become too dangerous to continue playing.
Junior captain Amelia Mazza said Florida was a roller coaster of emotions.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to have played with my teammates in Florida, but I am also extremely heartbroken for the loss of our season and especially our seniors,” Mazza said.
The senior class included Alli Saul, Jenna Gordon, Rachel Butler, and Leah Stokes.