The Lady Bisons softballl team walked away from the Music City Classic with three wins, but lost 14-2 in the final game this weekend at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium.
In the first game, the Lady Bisons had a 7-1 victory against the University of Missouri–Kansas City. The team took two more wins in the following games, with 8-0 and 9-1.
The whole infield is a completely new team except for two players, senior Paige Neely and sophomore Mimi Cartwright, but it didn’t take long to notice the new players. In the first three games, the Lady Bisons had a total of seven home runs, seven doubles and Neely had an impressive batting average of .778.
Freshman Abby Fenichel powered two balls over the fence in her first college game, recording three home runs for the weekend. Senior Brianne Welch kept the streak alive with two home runs for the weekend. Senior Gracey Aguirre and freshman Caitlin Plocheck were big power hitters and also contributed with their own home runs.
“It helps when you are in a positive environment and when everyone else around you is hitting good,” Fenichel said. “I have been struggling in practice so I just came out there, tried to forget about that and clear my mind, and it just ended up going my way.”
Junior pitcher Tanner Sanders took the 7-1 win against UMKC, only giving up one run. Junior Kelly Young pitched a no-hitter against IUPUI with a score of 8-0.
The game against IUPUI made for Coach Kristin Ryman’s 300th career win. Her 300th win was a short one, as the Lady Bisons took the game in five innings with the run rule.
During the last Saturday game, it was a shared effort in the circle, but it was Sanders who earned her second win against Indiana State. One of Welch’s and Fenichel’s home runs was against Indiana State. Both of their home runs were three run shots contributing to the 9-1 win.
“It was awesome to get that big hit; it was a close game for awhile. I don’t try to go up there and hit a home run, I just go up there to get a solid hit,” Welch said. “So it was nice to get that, and I think it gave us some more momentum.”
The Music City finale ended after six innings due to the run rule. With a score of 14-2, it was no secret that the bats were alive for Ball State. Ball State collected a total of 13 hits with an uplifting grand slam in the first inning, and the Lady Bisons were only able to collect a total of seven hits.
“It is easy to walk away from this game like this and feel let down and sorry for yourself,” Coach Kristin Ryman said. “Or you can just say, oh well, let’s move on.”
The Lady Bisons will spend next weekend in Mobile, Alabama in the Mardi Gras Classic March 13-15.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics