By Amelia Bickel
Copy Editor
Over the College’s spring break, the Shorewomen softball team made their annual trip to Florida, where they played a total of 10 softball games over the course of the week and left with wins against Carroll, Beloit, and Ohio Wesleyan. The trip makes up a quarter of the team’s 40-game season.
“We really do see this week as starting to set us up for [the regular season]…we’re getting a lot of game reps and starting…to develop roles on our team and figuring out who’s going to be in what spots and who’s going to be called upon,” Coach Sally Snover said. “[The trip] sets up the season in a really positive way.”
WC split in their first competition day in Winter Haven, Fla., March 8, with a 4-15 loss to Albertus Magnus followed by a comfortable 11-7 win against Carroll.
The Shorewomen led against Carroll early, when senior utility player Jenna Harper advanced to third with a walk and a fly out and then, with senior outfielder Julia Weglarz up to bat, to home, starting the game with a Shorewomen 1-0 lead.
Though Carroll challenged the Shorewomen in the bottom of the third, the WC team fought back with three runs off four hits in the top of the fifth. RBIs by freshman catcher Claire Barnes and freshman infielder Grace Allen returned WC to the lead, which they maintained to the end of the game.
On March 9, the Shorewomen had two losses: one to Saint Joseph’s of Maine and one to Gordon, 4-9 and 6-8 respectively. However, the team was not without accomplishment. Senior infielder Gracelyn Goforth earned her 100th career hit, becoming the first Shorewomen to reach the milestone this season, and freshman utility player Mia Filliben made her first career hit.
Filliben’s hit came at the top of the sixth, with a single to centerfield. Freshman outfielder Emma Trainer replaced Filliben as a pinch runner and made it home after a ground out and then a single to left field by Allen.
On March 10, the Shorewomen fell to Penn State Behrend and Thomas College, 4-6 and 3-10 respectively. Against Penn State Behrend, the Shorewomen took the lead until the sixth inning, when WC’s 4-3 lead was taken over by Penn State Behrend, 5-4. Against Thomas, the Shorewomen started with a 3-0 lead at the top of the first, but Thomas responded with three runs in the bottom of the second, one run in the bottom of the third, and six in the bottom of the fifth that led to their final 10-3 lead.
For the last two days, the WC team traveled to Clermont, Fla. On March 12, the Shorewomen split, with a close 13-12 win over Beloit College followed by a 0-9 loss to Dominican University.
“We have taken some hard losses, but we push forward,” Harper said after day four. “We’re learning from each game, staying focused on improving, and we’re excited about the direction we’re heading as we keep moving forward.”
The Shorewomen trailed Beloit through the game, but caught up in the bottom of the fifth with six runs that brought the Shorewomen from a 6-12 deficit to a 12-12 tie: senior infielder Lilly Wenzel hit a home run that sent leadoff batter Trainer to home; Allen, who singled after Wenzel, made it home on an error; Weglarz made it home on another error; McCabe, whose hit was dropped by the right fielder, sent Harper home; and Filliben earned an RBI when she hit a ground out that advanced Johnston home.
The Shorewomen broke the tie at the bottom of the sixth inning and took a 13-12 lead, which they held until the end.
On the trip’s final day, March 13, the Shorewomen tallied another split, with a 3-2 win over Ohio Wesleyan and a 1-10 loss to Saint Joseph’s of Maine. Tied 1-1 against Ohio Wesleyan at the bottom of the third, the Shorewomen pulled ahead with singles by Allen, Johnston, and Wenzel. Ohio Wesleyan scored in the top of the fourth, but the Shorewomen held their ground for the remainder of the game.
Beyond the spring break competition, Harper hopes that the team can move forward and keep developing confidence, consistency, and “a strong culture where everyone pushes each other to get better and [where they] continue competing at a high level.”
The Shorewomen play Catholic University on March 18 and will return home to play Penn State Brandywine on March 21.
Photo Caption: Senior infielder Lilly Wenzel recorded the Shorewomen’s first hit at the top of the second inning against Beloit College.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics