April 6, 2009

ATHENS, Ohio - After four tough loses in our first games of conference, Ohio softball had something to prove to ourselves and to the rest of the teams in the MAC. As Monday rolled around, not only did we start a new quarter, but also a whole new mentality for Ohio softball. Practice on Monday helped us all get back into the swing of things and put some confidence under our belts. As soon as we knew it, we were off to Dayton to beat the Flyers. Mel (Melissa Bonner) pitched the first game and kept the Flyers hitting lineup guessing at each pitch. Our offense started to come back alive in the fourth inning of the first game, and after that no one would be able to touch us for the rest of the week after that. Not only did Mel pitch a great game in that first game, but she also hit her first home run of the season. Way to go Mel! Anyways, as coach would say, we found our "MOJO" and we were showing people how strong of hitters we are and can be. In the second game, Emily (Wethington) [myself] pitched and kept the Flyers off balance as well. Deanna (Hartsough) and Sara (Clark) both homered, pushing us towards another win. The defense and offense both worked well together this game to help us to a 7-3 victory over Dayton.

Practice on Thursday was to fix small details about our game before a big doubleheader against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. When we woke up Friday morning, I don't think any of us were surprised to see rain, because wherever we go it seems like the rain follows. However, we were determined to get our games in no matter what the situation. Again, Mel started for us in game one, holding the Eagles to just two runs. Good hitting and pitch selection led us to a 4-2 victory over the Eagles. With our first conference win under our belt, you better believe we were coming back for more! As the second game started, the Eagles didn't know what was coming. In the bottom of the first inning, we scored nine runs, which would be enough to get another victory for the team. Our bats were on fire this game and no one would be able to stop us. We had some big hits this game, including a home run from Jillian (Van Wagnen) (her first of the season). The game ended in five innings with a score of 9-0! Congratulations girls, this was our first conference sweep. However, we needed to prepare our minds and bodies for the next two conference games coming up against the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, we again came out with fire and were looking to take another victory. In the first inning, we scored five runs and then added two more runs throughout the game. The Chippewas would only score 4 runs this game. Emily started off the game in the circle for the us, but in the fourth inning Mel came in to shut down CMU. After the win, we had a team barbeque and enjoyed each other's company. We had an infield versus outfield sing off, and after some tough judging, the outfield came through with the victory. As the grill died down, we packed up all the food and prepared our minds again for another game. Sunday morning rolled around (way too quickly I might add), and we were ready to take our second sweep in conference. This game would prove to be a nail biter and kept everyone on their toes. Mel started the game and pitched 6.1 awesome innings, keeping the Chippewas guessing again at everything she threw. Emily came in to finish off CMU in the seventh inning, and with a pop fly to right field and a bulls-eye throw from Paige (Kemezis) in right field to Jordan (Paden) at home, we came out on top with a 2-1 victory. The two runs were scored by two home runs from Alexis (Zambrana) (her first on the season) and Emily (her fourth on the season). The Chippewas were held to just five hits and one run. Another sweep for Ohio softball! Great weekend girls!