By Nicole Strauss, Contributing Writer ||
Diplomats softball played a double-header against McDaniel College. The Diplomats softball team played their 6th and 7th conference games on Tuesday, April 1. The McDaniels Green Terrors gave the Diplomats a run for their money, winning the first game and falling to the Lady Dips during the second game. The Diplomats finished this double header putting them at a total of 4 wins and 2 conference losses and 13 wins and 7 losses overall.
The Diplomat ladies played wonderful defense, with only letting a few people on base in the first game and winning the exciting second game. The team had several strong performances when they went up to the plate; unfortunately, the McDaniel’s offense was impressive for this first game.
The first three innings were a struggle for the players. With no runs scored, this first game did not look like it was going to end in their favor. Beginning in the bottom of the third inning, the Diplomats started to foul a fair amount. It was clear that they were beginning to get comfortable with the McDaniel’s pitcher and by the 4th inning many players were making connections with the ball. By the top of the 5th inning, the lady Diplomats were starting to get 1-2-3-outs, impressing the crowd and showing McDaniels what they are made of.
Although the Diplomats lost the first game 3 to 1, they worked with each other to put up a good fight. It paid off in the second game, as the Diplomats held their own and came home with the win.
“We definitely came to play the second game,” says center fielder Ashley Hartshorn. “We made adjustments to the McDaniel pitcher and our defense was solid.”
During the third inning, the team was a powerhouse, scoring seven runs and fully intimidating the McDaniel pitcher. The girls were skillful and perceptive runners around the bases and made some great hits. Offensively, they played well and caught many balls in the outfield as well as made some great infield plays to the base.
“My favorite part of the game was definitely the third inning when we got all of our runs. It was just non-stop.”
The score of the second game was 8 to 7, Diplomats. This second game was important because it showed the team that even after falling to the Green Terrors the first game, they could still work together to win the second game. Clearly, the first game did not define the second game that day, as the Diplomats showed strong performance and optimum cooperation and attitude.
The next conference game is Saturday, April 5th against Swarthmore. The team is doing great, with a total of 4 conference wins and 2 losses and many more games to come. This has been and will undoubtedly be an exciting season for the
Diplomats.
Junior Nicole Strauss is a contributing writer. Her email is nstrauss@fandm.edu.