We made the nine (or closer to twelve after practice, dinner and bathroom stops) hour drive to Virginia Beach to open up the 2009 regular season at the Beach Blast Tournament, hosted by Virginia Wesleyan.
About five hours into the trip the team stopped at the first softball field they could find to practice.
It was a relief to have the opportunity to practice on grass and dirt after nearly six weeks of practicing inside on the “blue courts” of the Wise Center.
After a tail gate dinner at the local McDonald’s parking lot we hit the road and arrived at our beach front hotel around midnight. We were excited to find out our rooms overlooked the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. After a quick meeting to discuss the itinerary for the following day it was time for lights out in preparation for opening day.Friday, March 6th – Opening Day
We woke to a sunny, yet very windy day today. A two hour delay allowed the team to take in breakfast and some time to walk the beach and enjoy the sunshine.
We woke to a sunny, yet very windy day today. A two hour delay allowed the team to take in breakfast and some time to walk the beach and enjoy the sunshine.
Game one would be a tough one for us. Lynchburg, a 2008 College World Series participant and the preseason #8 team in the country, lived up to their billing. The Gators were able to hold them off for a few innings before their bats awoke and took eight runs. With some sporadic hits we were never able to string anything together and took the loss 8-0.Game two would not be any easier as they faced perennial national powerhouse Salisbury under the lights in the night cap. Though the Gators were able to keep the score within two early on, the Gulls strung together some hits to make the final 11-2. It was certainly a tough way to start the 2009 campaign but a learning experience, none the less.
Below are some pictures from the first day of competition:
Saturday, March 7thThe Gators came out determined to even our record to 2-2 on the year and did just that. The bats which had been quiet the previous day showed up on Saturday.
In game one versus Stevenson, Junior Maggie Bodenlos started the morning off with a bang by hitting a lead off home run to dead center (the first of her career). Senior, Rachel Ryan followed Maggie’s lead by hitting a deep home run to left a few innings later. Sophomore, Amanda Downey held Stevenson to only one run as the Gators unloaded 13 runs to take the victory.
Freshman, Stacey Robertshaw took the mound in her first career start for the Gators in game two versus Polytechnic University. She got all the runs she needed in the first inning as she recorded a shut out for Allegheny. Once again, the bats showed up with stellar performances by Sophomore Sarah Doan, Rachel Ryan, and Maggie Bodenlos. We evened up our record for the tournament with a final score of 7-0.
Freshman, Stacey Robertshaw took the mound in her first career start for the Gators in game two versus Polytechnic University. She got all the runs she needed in the first inning as she recorded a shut out for Allegheny. Once again, the bats showed up with stellar performances by Sophomore Sarah Doan, Rachel Ryan, and Maggie Bodenlos. We evened up our record for the tournament with a final score of 7-0.
Tonight we travel to Frederick, MD for a Sunday double header with Hood College.
Sunday, March 8th
After a 2-2 showing at the Beach Blast Tournament in Virginia Beach, the Gators traveled up to Frederick, MD for a double header aganist Hood College. In game one the Gators fell to Hood College 5-4 in extra innings. The Gators bats stayed alive from the previous day slugging ten hits. Maggie Bodenlos led the Gators offense with 3 hits.
In game two the Gators came back from the loss and earned a 5-1 victory. Rachely Ryan hit her second homerun in as many days, and Bessie Artino went 2-3 with 2 RBI's. Stacey Robertshaw got her second win of the weekend pitching seven innings and only giving up five hits and no earned runs.
The Gators return to Meadville, PA with a weekend of playing under their belts. One more week of practice before heading down to Florida for Spring Break.
