Though our current weather situation may lead us to believe otherwise, let our athletes and even our course schedules tell it – spring is here!
Our softball season is underway, and to twist famous singer Alicia Keys’ words a bit, our ladies are on fire!
With their wins of the first two games of the NAIA Leadoff Tournament, we could not have asked for a much better start to the season.
The women have shown us very early into the season that they can win games in a variety of ways.
Whether it be showing grit to win a close game, using the bats and base running to dominate a team, or most importantly, defensively, the team has shown great balance in starting a long season.
In the season opener on February 1, facing the Cougars of the University of Saint Francis (Ind.), our beloved Cougars showed their dominance at the plate and on the mound, winning fairly easily by a score of 6-0 .
With a team batting average of .400 for the game, the Cougars were lead at the plate by freshman Lyda Robinson (two runs), junior Lexxie Lux (two runs), and junior Tori Keilman (two RBI).
The Cougars totaled 12 hits on the day, and were blessed with a big day on the mound from junior pitcher Allison Golic.
Golic pitched a complete game shutout, only allowing four hits while striking out five batters.
Later on that day, our Cougars battled the Cardinals of Concordia University (Mich.) in a matchup that came down to the last inning.
Our Cougars were quickly facing a deficit going into the second inning after giving up two early runs, the last being unearned.
We scored a combined five runs in the next two innings to take a 5-4 lead after three innings.
Concordia eventually tied the game in the sixth inning, but thanks to a late RBI double from junior Taylor Sterkowitz, our ladies were able to claim a 6-5 victory.
The Cougars got a big game from junior Annalisse Scott, as she was 2-3 at the plate for the game, driving in three runs and also scoring two.
The players have performed extraordinarily to start the season with contributions from several players during the big moments.
Let’s give a lot of credit to third year coach Erin Mollohan-Corrao. Our softball team showed great improvement last year (2017-18), making it to the national tournament after failing to advance in the conference tournament during Mollohan-Corrao’s inaugural season (2016-17).
The 2-0 start to the season has been the best we have had under her leadership.
This constant improvement is very encouraging for our softball team’s future.
Following the Leadoff Tournament, in mid-March, our Cougars will be traveling to Arizona for the Tucson Invitational Games.
A week after they return, on March 23rd the ladies will host the Trolls of Trinity Christian College in the home opener.
SXU fans have plenty of time between now and then to prepare to show up strong and support our Cougars as they embark on what looks to be a promising year for the team.
Dallas Haywood
Sports Reporter
About Post Author
