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April 04, 2006
Softball goes 6-2 in first outing, season shaping up quickly
Over spring break, Hamline’s fastpitch softball team travelled to Ft. Myers, FL, where they crushed the hopes and desires of their opponents and took some names as well.
The first team unfortunate enough to step to the plate against Hamline was the Middlebury Panthers from Vermont. The Panthers were able to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning off of a single, but their lead was soon overtaken by the Pipers in the top of the second. The fury of first-year Grace Weinreich turned manifest itself in the form of a devastating home run, giving Weinrich two RBIs as sophomore Lindsey Lingl was already on first. Middlebury scored again in the sixth tying up the game 2-2. In the seventh, second-year Sara Mickelson brought on the pain with a homerun, bringing senior Rachael Young and first-year Jordan Ulrich over the plate along with herself for three RBIs. Middlebury was only able to get one run in the seventh ending the game at 6-3 Hamline.
The next match-up for the Pipers resulted in the destruction of a team that was thought to be well fortified: the tenth-ranked North Central Cardinals from Illinois. The game started off with a thundering smash from Mickelson as she hit a homerun bringing junior Holly Wiborg across the plate with her. Things only went uphill for Hamline as Weinreich doubled, with junior Katie Prasek following suit bringing Weinreich storming across the plate and giving Prasek an RBI. First-year Kristina Hedberg, Mickelson, and Weinreich scored in the third bringing the score to 6-1 in favor of Hamline. In the fifth, the Pipers managed to tally up a total of six runs, four unearned. The Cardinals were only able to answer with one run and the game ended in the fifth, 12-2.
The fourth game for Hamline was a tense one against the SUNY-New Platz Hawks of New York. The Hawks led off the first inning with a quick run. The Pipers were able to get on the scoreboard in the sixth when a single from Weinreich brought Lingl and Hedberg home to refuel. The Pipers caught the Hawks in a whirlwind in the bottom of the sixth without allowing a single hit. Young hit a homer in the top of the seventh bringing in first-year Kellie Hoen. The Hawks were able to bring two players home, but it just wasn’t good enough and the game ended 4-3 Hamline.
Hamline was able to shut out the Worcester Knights from Massachusetts for the seventh game. Young was the first to score in the game in the first. Weinreich scored in the fourth and Hedberg scored in the fourth and whirled back for another run in the seventh. Star of the game was first-year Theresa Boleen who pitched seven innings and only allowed four hits as the knights’ armor began to rust. The final score was 4-0.
The Pipers also played Grinnell (5-2), UW-Superior (12-7), Babson (1-3), and Wellesley (10-15) finishing the tournament 6-2. Not a bad way to start off the season. Look for similar showings from this hard-hitting lineup in the weeks to come.
Hamline will play again on Tuesday, April 4, at Macalester with the opening pitch at 4 p.m.
Posted by dwright at April 4, 2006 01:39 PM
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