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First place is at stake in Southern Region showdown for softball
The Advocate
The Saints softball team improved to 6-2 in the Southern Region (19-4 overall) after winning three of four games in doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday.
Starting pitcher Lauren Hadenfeld returned to the rotation last weekend after being sidelined due to injury and picked up the win in a 7-1 victory against the Olympic Rangers Saturday.
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“We had been without her for a while,” said head coach Meadow McWhorter. “She had a stellar game.”
In today’s doubleheader against the Lower Columbia Community College Red Devils, the Saints will “just play Hood ball,” according to McWhorter. McWhorter said all starters will be back on the field.
The Saints are second in the Southern Region, right behind Lower Columbia. The Saints are only one win behind the Red Devils, while the rest of the division is at least three games behind MHCC.
After the Saints beat the Rangers 7-1 on Saturday, they fell short in a 9-1 loss against the Wenatchee Valley Knights in the second game of the doubleheader.
McWhorter said the Saints made six errors in one inning and it was “kind of an odd day.”
McWhorter said she thinks the game was a turning point in the season, because the team came more ready to play than ever on Sunday.
The Saints won 9-0 against Treasure Valley and 8-0 against Skagit Valley.
“We came more out on the attack,” said McWhorter.
On April 14, against Clark Community College, the Saints were missing four starting players due to injuries. McWhorter said this is the “most injuries I’ve ever had in one season.”
The remaining players were open to play at different positions, according to McWhorter, who said that at one time there were about nine players with injuries, including four starters sitting out the game. Because of the additional playing time, “We’ve strengthened our substitutes in our lineup,” said McWhorter.
Instead of the “usual” 20 games in March, the Saints only played eight due to weather conditions, according to McWhorter.
“We might peak at the right time this year,” said McWhorter, who added that with all the injuries the team has suffered so far this season, it was good not to play too many games early in the season.
With the change in weather, McWhorter hopes no more games will be cancelled.
She said the team will focus mainly on staying hydrated. She said that in softball, it is important that everybody stays warm, because there is a lot of down time.
“It’s perfect softball weather,” McWhorter said about the warm weather Tuesday. “We’re going to play one game at a time,” said McWhorter.
The Saints doubleheader today against Lower Columbia starts at 3 p.m. The Red Devils are 7-1 in the Southern Region (24-4 overall) and ranked number one in the NWAACC polls.University at Earl Klapstein Stadium.