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Saints' softball team sweeps doubleheader after losing to chief rival
The Advocate
Following a doubleheader loss to NWAACC championship nemesis the Lower Columbia Red Devils on April 24, the women fought back and took down the Clark Penguins in two blow-out games the next day.
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Sophomore pitching ace Lauren Hadenfeld threw a complete game shutout in game one and struck out eight Penguins in the Saints 8-0 victory. The second game was owned by sophomore ace Brittany McArthur, who pitched a shutout through five innings and finished with an 11-3 win.
“Games like that really keep their confidence going,” said Assistant Coach Kimi Daniel. “They feed off each other. When one gets a hit, so does the next and the next.”
Hitting and defense were the Saints’ major strengths against Clark. During game one, the women had 11 hits and were flawless on the field. In game two, the Saints had five errors but still managed to post 11 runs on only seven hits.
Even though Hadenfeld has been playing “hurt” since the Saints first preseason tournament on March 14-15, she has played through the pain and, as of April 29, has an earned-run average (ERA) of 0.54, the best ERA of any pitcher in the NWAACC. The MHCC ace recently saw a doctor, and although she hasn’t had any X-rays, the doctor believes there may be a stress fracture in her right forearm or something similar to a shin splint.
With four games left until the NWAACC championships, Hadenfeld thinks she will make it through the remainder of the season. “I’m hoping I can make it all the way through. I think I can push myself through the pain,” she said.
Today at 3 p.m., the women will face the Clackamas Cougars at home and then they will battle the Southwestern Oregon Lakers on their home field at noon Saturday. On May 8, they will travel to Salem to take on the Chemeketa Storm and the next day, they will face the Red Devils in their final game of the regular season.
Despite their two losses against Lower Columbia on Friday, Daniel is confident in the team’s ability to get back on track and go in the championships fighting.
“We are a good ball team. This time they didn’t even get a glimpse of what we are capable of,” she said. “We have great speed and the majority of our lineup (consists of) contact hitters. We just have to go in with confidence.”