All they do is win no matter what and nobody seems to be able to beat them.
The “they” above is SXU’s softball team, which has won an amazing 19 games in a row while looking unstoppable.
During the Cougars (35-3, 15-1) incredible run the team has relied on defense and pitching led by the pitching duo of Megan and Nicole Nonnemacher.
The senior Megan (17-1) has posted a 0.71 ERA this season while her sister, Nicole (15-2), has been just as impressive with a 0.24 ERA.
Softball’s head coach Myra Minuskin said during an interview with John Grochowski for an article in the Chicago Sun-Times:
“We’re really old-school in that we rely on pitching and defense.
“I tell the players [a batter] can’t control the outcome of an at-bat… But defense is something we have control over all the time,” she said.
SXU’siron-claddefenseand untouchable pitching have not allowed a run in 55 innings of action and has recorded 26 shutouts this season out of 38 games.
After sweeping through Ashford and Roosevelt University by not allowing a run the Cougars faced some close calls against Trinity Christian College on April 10.
It was scoreless the first three innings of action and then the Trolls allowed N. Nonnemacher to reach home on a throwing error.
In the sixth a sacrifice laid down by junior first basemen Amanda Hainlen allowed N. Nonnemacher to score.
The Trolls would cut the lead in half in the top of the seventh, but M. Nonnemacher would not be denied as she forced the batter int a foul out and then a force at first base resulted in a double-play to end the game.
She finished that game allowing six hits with six strikeouts, one earned run and no walks.
N. Nonnemacher took the mound in game two of another close game with Trinity Christian College but got the 2-0 shutout victory, striking out 12 in seven innings.
In the first inning freshmen shortstop Savannah Kinsella drove in a run with a single to left field and junior centerfielder Shannon Lauret scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to make it 2-0.
The team registered only four hits but that was more than enough for the 2-0 win. The Cougars moved on to their next two-game series against Trinity International University (Ill.), who they swept away by the final scores of 8-0 and 9-1.
Then was on to a doubleheader against Cardinal Stritch University on April 12. The first game was a 4-0 shutout victory led by N. Nonnemacher’s 13 strikeouts. Sophomore second basemen Kasey Kanaga and Nonnemacher each recorded RBI singles.
During the fifth inning Hainlen drove in Kanaga with a sacrifice bunt to make it 3-0 and then in the bottom of the sixth Kinsella launched a solo home run over the right field wall to finish off the scoring.
In the second game SXU scored the first seven runs of the game and held off a rally by CSU to complete the sweep by winning 7-4.
The first seven runs scored by the Cougars was highlighted by Hainlen’s three- run home run in the bottom of the fourth over the centerfield wall.
No. 10 SXU went on to sweep University of Saint Francis (Ill.) the next day in a two game series by shutting them out.
The first game was very tight as N. Nonnemacher pitched a shutout by fanning 11 and allowing just four hits in the 1-0 win.
The only run of the game was scored when sophomore Denise Anderson reached home on a throwing error by USF.
The second game featured another shutout that saw the Cougar offense go off for 14 hits en route to a dominating 10-0 victory.
SXU kept rolling on as they blew away Purdue University-North Central by the final scores of 12-0 and 9-0 as neither game even went seven innings.
The sweep was punctuated with a perfect game thrown by N. Nonnemacher as she struck out 11 during her completion of perfection.
The Cougars recorded another sweep this time against William Penn, but it was not an easy time for SXU as offense was limited in both games. Junior left fielder Katie Sears was the star in the first game going 3-for-4, scoring the only run, recording a double and a stolen base in the Cougars 1-0 win.
The second game featured an RBI double by Lauret and a suicide squeeze by Hainlen to score Sears from third base as SXU went on to win 2-0.
The following day was a special one for the team as they honored the three seniors that will no longer be wearing the scarlet and gray after this season.
Catcher Ariel Hinton, outfielder Katie Houlihan, and Megan Nonnemacher were all honored before the games against Grand View University for their stellar achievements as members of SXU softball.
RBI singles by Sears and first-year shortstop Franchesca Graffeo in the fourth inning was all the run support M. Nonnemacher needed for the 2-0 win.
M. Nonnemacher yielded only three hits to the visitors in seven innings of picturesque work.
N. Nonnemacher had a dominant pitching performance in the second game, striking out 14 and picking up her 15th shutout win of the season.
The Cougars remained undefeated at home (14-0) this season with the win and their 19-game winning streak is tied for lon- gest in program history.
A tough task awaits the team as they go on the road to face No. 7-ranked Olivet Nazarene University on Thursday Apr. 24.
Damon Griffin
Sports Editor