Kathleen Byers (left) practices bunting during an indoor practice Thursday afternoon. The team is 6-11 overall and opens NCAC play against Hiram on Saturday. SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
DePauw softball (6-11) traveled west over spring break, competing against a series of teams in California before returning to Indiana to take on Trine College.
The Tigers started the trip 3-0, sweeping Chapman and winning the first of two games against Whittier.
“We really settled in [and] gelled in the field,” said Head Coach Erica Hanrahan.
Then the wheels came off.
After first-year second baseman Rachel Honaker injured her knee in the 6th inning of game two against Whittier, DePauw proceeded to give up six runs to the Poets. The injury forced the Tigers to change their defense on the fly.
“We had to shuffle things up again,” Hanrahan said. “In doing so, we had to re-grow through some shifts in defensive personnel.”
The Tigers struggled the rest of the way, dropping their final three games in California and the first game against No. 11 ranked Trine.
“Though the teams we played were tough, our team was incredibly resilient,” said junior outfielder Andi Sarkisian. “By the Trine games we were ready to show off this resiliency to a ranked opponent.
Nevertheless, DePauw managed to bounce back in the final game, defeating the Thunder by a score of 6-4.
“This was a very high note to end on because we have been slaughtered by Trine [in past years],” said Hanrahan. “To play them so tough this year was really exciting and gave us high hopes for things to come.”
Freshman pitcher Brooke Bandy agreed.
“They are a very strong hitting team and we held them to four runs both games,” said Bandy. “The upperclassmen have played Trine many times and were thrilled that we got the game the second game.”
The Tigers will now head into conference play, where the team will take on Hiram in a weekend double header at home. The Tigers look to build off their strong offensive performance against Trine.
“We are working on… being consistent with our hitting,” Bandy said. “We have great hitters, and want to get to the point where we are scoring a lot of runs every game.”
First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
"Our team always pushes the boundaries and promotes aggressiveness,” Sarkisian said. "This sets us apart from other teams, and has led to our success in the past."