Softball has fallen and it can't get up—After starting the season with an 8-8 record, women lose ninth straight

By Mike Petty
Collegian Staff
April 5, 2006

One of the hardest things to do in sports is to get up when you’re down. Case in point: the La Salle softball team. Before the season, the main question regarding this team was would the bats support the fielding and pitching? So far, the team has failed to answer that question successfully. This past weekend, the team looked to change that with a pair of double headers against UMass and Rhode Island.

A La Salle softball player looks to hit the ball in the team’s 8-0 loss to UMass
on Friday, March 31. Photo taken by Lou Perseghin.

On Friday, March 31, La Salle took on UMass. In game one, the Minutewomen opened the scoring in the third inning and La Salle answered in the bottom half, loading the bases with none out. La Salle failed to score as the team’s next three batters struck out, wasting its lone threat of the game. The Explorers couldn’t solve UMass’s Brandice Balschmiter, as she cruised striking out 13 of the 15 La Salle batters. The game was cut short after five innings due to darkness, leaving UMass with an 8-0 victory. Junior Laura DeZolt took the loss for La Salle.

The hot hitting for UMass continued in game two, as they were up 3-0 by the third inning. The Minutewomen then used a triple, single and a homerun to go up 6-0 in the fifth. While the Explorers’ bats continued to struggle, they used solid fielding to stay in the game. Sophomore catcher Michelle Sullivan and freshman center fielder Teddi Hernandez made dazzling plays in the field keeping the game close.

Jena Busa, for UMass, threw a complete game no hitter, striking out seven in the 6-0 UMass victory. Freshman Lea Corcoran took the loss for the Explorers. It was the fourth time this season that the Explorers had fallen on the short end of a no-hitter.

“UMass is a very strong team; they came in here believing they were going to dominate, and they did,” Sullivan said. “The most disappointing thing was that we did nothing to make anyone think different, we didn’t fight.”

Putting the sweep behind them, the women looked to improve in Sunday’s two-game matchup against Rams of Rhode Island. With Rhode Island leading 2-0 in the third inning of game one, a bases-loaded walk from junior Megan Berry and a single from Corcoran tied the score at two. However, the Rams then added two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. All the Explorers could muster the rest of the game was an RBI single courtesy of freshman Danielle Signorelli, as the team wound up losing 7-3. DeZolt’s record fell to 7-5 as a result of the loss.

La Salle was again victimized by early home runs in game two, as the Rams homered in the first and third innings. La Salle tried to fight back when freshman Kelli Curcio homered in the third inning; however, Rhode Island secured the sweep by posting runs in the fifth and sixth innings to beat the Explorers 8-1. Jill Anderson struck out seven batters and converted the win for Rhode Island, while Corcoran dropped to 0-6.

“[Rhode Island] hit when they needed to, took advantage of our mistakes, and we didn’t [do those things],” Sullivan said.

Corcoran led the team with four hits on the weekend, as the team’s losing streak reached nine games and its overall record fell to (8-17, 1-7). Last night’s game against Fairleigh Dickinson ended too late to be included in this issue; however, the team will look to get back on track on Wednesday, April 5 at home against Delaware at 2 p.m. The Explorers will then host visiting St. Louis on Sunday, April 9 at noon.

“I feel like we have a real opportunity here to do some damage this week and get back on the right path,” Sullivan said. “We need to focus on adjusting. We need to be more disciplined at the plate, and wait for our pitch.”

pettym1@lasalle.edu