The Observer, April 14, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 24
Softball team keeps momentum rolling on the road
click to enlarge
Other than the possible exception of the men's tennis team, no Case spring athletic team is on a roll like the women's softball team. After a difficult UAA tournament in Florida, the ladies have a respectable 10-8-1 record since their return. More impressively, the Lady Spartans have won four of their last six games (as of press time), which all came in doubleheaders on the road on three consecutive days. That is a very grueling schedule for any team at any level, especially this late in the season.
The first doubleheader of the road trip was against Calvin College last Saturday. The first game did not go well for the Spartans, who lost 6-1, managing just one run on five hits against Calvin's pitchers. Amanda Bell had a rough day on the mound, giving up six runs and 10 hits in just over three innings of work.
Courtney Geib and Ruth Sagartz helped the team salvage the second game. Geib had a clutch, two-out single that scored Carrie Casden. Geib then drove in Case's second run in the seventh inning with another single that scored Casden. The two runs were just enough for Sagartz, who pitched a complete game for the victory, striking out nine while allowing one unearned run in the Spartans' 2-1 victory.
The women turned that victory into a winning streak the next day at Albion College. Bell rebounded to throw an outstanding game in game one, allowing just one hit in a complete game shutout. Casden hit her first ever collegiate home run in the sixth inning. Five Albion errors throughout the game helped Case score two more runs, and the Spartans won the game, 3-0.
The women picked up their offensive performance in the second game, taking the lead in the first inning and never looking back. Case had big innings in both the third and fifth, scoring three runs in each inning. Amber Hammell led off the third with a single, and, after loading the bases, Lauren Seeds came through with a single that drove in two runs. Geib followed with an RBI single of her own. The Spartans did most of their fifth-inning damage with two outs and with the help of three Albion errors. Sagartz picked up the win in the 7-3 victory.
The three-game winning streak gave the ladies more confidence heading into their doubleheader the following day against rival John Carroll. Games in any sport against JCU are always very competitive, but the Lady Spartans were up to the challenge. Jen Bullen and Geib had RBI singles in the first inning to give Case a 2-0 lead. The Blue Streaks came back in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own, but Case tied the score in the third on another RBI single by Bullen. An RBI single by Casden put Case in the lead for good in the fifth, and Bell earned the victory in Case's 4-3 win.
The Spartans had a chance to move their record to .500 in the second game, but they were shut out by John Carroll pitching. Sagartz matched JCU pitch for pitch, throwing a shutout through six innings. She ran into trouble in the seventh, allowing a leadoff single and then a walk. She came back, though, to get two outs without allowing JCU to score. However, she could not complete the escape, as John Carroll's Sarah Nairne ended the game with an RBI single, giving the Blue Streaks a 1-0 victory.
After playing so many games in a row on the road, the softball team will return to Case for a little home cooking in the next week. The Spartans will play three doubleheaders over five days, all against local rivals, starting on April 18 against Notre Dame College. Baldwin Wallace and Ursuline then come to visit on April 20 and April 23, respectively.
