Softball secures spot in NWAACCS

BY PETER HILLS

The softball team looks to end their season on a good note after securing their spot in the NWAACC tournament coupled with two forfeit wins from Clark on Tuesday.

Last Friday the team reached a season low when they were swept at Clackamas 5-4 and 9-1. The first game was a hard fought one that they lost at the bottom of the eighth inning. In the second game the Clackamas pitcher had 13 strikeouts. Saints’ Jenna Wilson whacked a home run in the first game and a scored a run in the second. Coach Meadow McWhorter said the team wasn’t there offensively, defensively or on the mound both games. “(Clackamas) is a big rival and whichever team comes in with the most energy and most fire and want to win is usually going to take both games,” said McWhorter.

They made a quick turnaround the next day to sweep SWOCC at home 12-8 and 8-6. McWhorter said those games were a confidence boost, showcasing the Saints offense, but there were still some mistakes that she said the team needed to work on. “It’s what we’ve been saying all year: it’s the little things we need to get done. Hopefully, by the time we get to the tournament we’ll have everybody understanding what they need to do and it’s their responsibility,” said McWhorter.

The Saints accomplished their main goal this year of making the NWAACC Tournament. Now the plan is to build some momentum in the next two games to take into the tournament, according to McWhorter.

They will play their last home game against Chemeketa (18-8) today, and will head up to Longview, Wash., to play their final season game against the Southern Region Champions Lower Columbia (23-3).

“It’s a happy/sad feeling. It’s happy to see a lot of them go out on such good notes, but at the same time it’s sad to see them go, not just as players but as people. I’m going to miss them. That’s the hardest part about this job. You get attached to these kids and after two years you have to let them go,” said McWhorter.

“For some of these sophomores it’s the end of the road. We told our freshmen that if you are going to play for anyone play for them, so next year when you’re sitting in that seat, you’ll really want those freshmen to work their tails off for you.”

All four of the Southern leaders were in Monday’s NWAACC Coaches Poll. “The best pitching in the NWAACC is here in the South. It helps us tremendously because I think the North and the West both are at a very much disadvantage because of the type of pitching they face, the type of just all-around teams that they face versus us, where we face phenomenal pitching. That just makes our hitters just that much better. Competing in the Southern Region will definitely be an advantage to us as a team in the tournament,” said McWhorter.