A member of DePauw Softball takes some practice pitches on Thursday 31. The Tigers won 1-1 over the weekend beating University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and falling to Washington University. SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
The Tigers travelled to Normal, Ill. this past weekend to play in the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament. Although the tournament was intended to go through the entire weekend, poor weather conditions forced the cancellation of both games scheduled for Sunday. Nonetheless, the Tigers still turned in an up-and-down performance on Saturday. They claimed victory over the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire team by a score of 5-3, but they fell short in their second matchup against Washington (Mo.) by a score of 6-4.
The competition the Tigers faced over the weekend was a major step up from other competition they've seen this season.
“Every team in the tournament was either ranked this year, beat ranked teams this year, or were ranked in the previous three years, so we knew that we were gonna come in and face really good competition all weekend,” said senior Sammi Bell.
Saturday afternoon’s game against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was a thriller. It didn’t take too long for the Tigers to post the first run up on the board, as sophomore outfielder Liz Getz homered in the second inning to allow the Tigers to take a 1-0 lead. A little bit later on in the game, during the third inning, first-year Sidney Holler’s RBI double drove another run in to move up to 2-0.
The slim lead did not last, though, as the Blugolds tied the game up with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. From that moment on, it was a grueling effort to retake the lead.
The game went back and forth. Senior Linsey Button hit home run in the fifth inning, but the Blugolds answered right back in the sixth inning after a fielding error allowed them to score.
Heading into the seventh inning with the game tied 3-3, the Tigers reclaimed the lead with a two-run bomb from sophomore Lauren Godden and never looked back. This was enough for the Tigers to seal a 5-3 victory, as the Blugolds were unable to respond.
Speaking on the late home run, Holler praised Godden’s ability to make big plays at such a critical time, but she also expressed the relief she felt when that ball flew out of the park.
“It was one of the most clutch things that happened this year," Holler said. "I especially felt it because I made an error the inning before that allowed them to score, so her having that hit really brought relief to the whole team, especially me. She does that all the time. But it was really clutch.”
The Tigers’ second game of the day against the University of Washington (Mo.) started out fairly promising, as they were able to score three unanswered runs over the course of the first five innings. Heading into the sixth inning, the Tigers held a 3-0 lead, and, barring a sudden comeback, they looked to be on track to close it out.
However, this was far from the case, as the Tigers fell victim to a late rally from the Bears. The Bears clawed their way back into the game from the three-run deficit the Tigers had created.
Holler said the quick shift on the scoreboard was partially due to error from one side, but also good execution from the other side.
“We had a few mental mistakes in the field. There were a few things that just didn’t go our way that allowed them to come back," she said. "Also, they are a great team, so they capitalize on those things and find a way to score."
The game carried on into the final inning, but neither team was able to score, so they had to take it into extras. Both teams were able to convert their opportunities into one run in the eighth inning. However, the Bears put up two runs in the top of the ninth inning and the Tigers failed to respond, resulting in a 6-4 defeat for the Tigers.
Although a disheartening loss, junior Gabby Smart looked at the positives that came from that collapse.
“I think knowing that we had the potential to win that game against that ranked team is going to help us pull some stuff together and come back stronger next time. Because we know we can beat them,” she said.
The Tigers are currently flirting with a .500 record, but after going 1-1 on the weekend, they still remain one game below that. They are currently standing with a record of 11-12, but the next shot to they have get back to .500 will be Thursday at home in a doubleheader matchup against Anderson. The first game will be at 4 p.m. and the second game will follow that at 6 p.m.