Softball keeps losses coming

By Frank Visco
Collegian Editor
April 12, 2006

There’s a much ballyhooed phrase that goes something like this: “Look on the bright side, it can’t get any worse.” It’s a phrase that’s always seemed a little ominous, because it’s not really that valid. Case in point: the La Salle softball team.

After starting the season 8-8, the Explorers have lost 13 straight. Photo
courtesy of Sara Allen.

Coming into the week, the women had lost nine in a row since bouncing back from earlier season troubles with a dominating performance at the Bash at the Beach Tournament. Sheer odds would seem to point to the fact that they would eventually win again.

After all, it’s said that pitching wins games, and since the team has a stud number one in junior Laura DeZolt, it would seem destined to win sooner or later, right?

Wrong.

Over the past week, the team’s season has gone from bad to worse, as it ran its losing streak to 13 games by dropping two each against St. Louis and Delaware. Making matters worse is the fact that the women were shutout in three of the four games and were outscored 25-1 on the week.

“It’s been very disappointing,” head coach Joe DiPietro said. “We were 8-8 at one time, but have now lost 13 straight. It’s pretty frustrating for everyone involved. However, we’re playing with a young team and relying on inexperienced players.

“We have four freshmen starting, along with two sophomores and three seniors. So we’re pretty heavy on the young end of it, which can be bad because these girls haven’t faced this type of competition before. As a result, it’s like they’re getting on the job training.”

On Wednesday, April 5, the women hosted a two-game set against the Delaware Blue Hens at Good Shepherd Field. Keeping in line with the losing trend, the Explorers dropped the first game 6-0, and then the nightcap, 8-1.

In game one, DeZolt (7 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 7 K, 2 BB) started the game relatively strongly. Although she gave up two runs in the top half of the first, they were unearned on account of an error by freshman third basemen Lea Corcoran. She then flew through the next four innings, allowing just four base runners (one on an error).

However, she ran into trouble in the game’s later innings, as the Blue Hens put up two-spots in both the sixth and seventh innings. As a result of no run support (the Explorers had just one hit), the team ultimately fell 6-0, and DeZolt’s record dropped to 7-6.

Although the Explorers plated a run in the nightcap, courtesy of a fifth-inning sacrifice fly from freshman Kelli Curcio, things did not improve much beyond that. The team committed five errors, while Corcoran gave up eight runs (six earned), en route to an 8-1 thrashing.

On Saturday, April 9, the Explorers played a two-game set against the St. Louis Bilikens. In their first ever Atlantic 10 appearance at Good Shepherd Field, the Bilikens blanked the Explorers in both games, besting them 2-0 in the first and 9-0 in the second.

The first game saw DeZolt give up two first inning runs, just as she had in her start against the Blue Hens. However, unlike in that game, she held her opponent scoreless the rest of the way, allowing 10 hits and two runs (one earned), while fanning nine. Unfortunately for DeZolt (7-7), she still picked up the loss, as the Explorers, who managed just four hits, lost 2-0.

“She has a lot of experience, both with our team and from her high school and travel teams on which she was successful,” DiPietro said. “However, she’s still frustrated, just like a lot of us are.

“She has a constant pressure to throw shutout innings because of our struggles at the plate and that’s unfair to her given the quality of the teams we’re going up against. [She started 7-2] and so I had projected her to be in the 15, 16, 17-win range. However, with no run support, it’s tough because you always have to make perfect pitches.”

The second game was even worse than the first. Although the fact that the team managed to hold its opponent scoreless in the first inning for the first time since April 2 was encouraging, the team still managed just two hits and fell victim to the league’s eight-run rule, losing 9-0 in only five innings.

Coming into the week, the girls had lost nine straight, but all but one had been close games, in which pitching and defense were solid and hitting was lacking. However, the team regressed in the past week, as the offense got even worse, and the fielding and pitching suffered as well. For the week, the team gave up 25 runs in 26 innings, garnering 12 errors and only 13 hits.

“We haven’t pitched well,” DiPietro said. “DeZolt’s been consistent, but our other two starters have been just the opposite. Being behind in the first inning all the time can be demoralizing to the hitters.

“When they don’t hit, the pitchers and fielders will press a little bit and then they’ll give up hits and five up errors. The only way to get out of it is to keep drilling and stay positive.”

The team now stands at 8-21 (1-9 in the A-10), but it will get several opportunities to bounce back over the next week, including a game today against St. Francis, as well as games on Saturday and Tuesday against St. Bonaventure and Rider, respectively.

The women obviously have raw talent, and several of the starters are still learning as freshmen, and so it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume the team will bounce back soon. However, despite the aforementioned phrase, it can always get worse, so until the offense proves itself, and the defense gets back into shape, assumptions should be left at the door. Still, according to DiPietro, there are some good things to be drawn from the season thus far.

“[On the upside], the team’s stayed pretty positive,” DiPietro said. “They haven’t put their head between their legs and accepted defeat. They are working hard to improve, and the team chemistry is awesome. They are staying together as a team, and that’s important.

“Because of injuries, we’re asking kids to play positions that they’re not accustomed to, and so it’s not surprising that some mistakes are being made. The girls are continuing to work on what they’re lacking and the effort is there. As I said, it’s like on-the-job training, which can be good; it’s just a shame we have to do the training on the field in games.”

viscof1@lasalle.edu