The women’s softball team didn’t just beat conference rival Denison University, they shut them out in a double-header. Following the lead from an impressive pitching performance by first-year Emma Baldwin, the Tigers took down Big Red 5-0 and 9-0.
The Tigers improved to 4-0 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, and 13-8 on the season.
Junior Linsey Button chalked their performance up to patience.
“We were able to stay patient at the plate and take the walks we were given,” Button said. “We also had timely hitting to score the runs we need.”
Five games over .500, the Tigers have come out of a short losing streak just in time for conference play to start up, attributing to their current undefeated conference record. They’ve also grown more aggressive on offense.
“What made a difference in our games against Denison was our constant offense,” senior Jennifer Ridge said. “Our team never stopped hitting the ball hard and because of that we were able to force key errors and get hits in key situations.”
Perhaps what contributed most to the double sweep was the defense of the Tigers, led by Emma Baldwin’s five inning no-hitter in the second game.
“Our pitching was outstanding during those games, and we had solid defense to get lead runners when possible,” Button said.
Baldwin attributed her Tuesday success to the small things.
“I worked a lot on fixing some of my mechanics the day before the game, so I think that definitely helped my performance, but mostly I just had to be accurate in hitting my spots because every team has good batters that can hit the ball hard if I miss,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin wasn’t the only DePauw University pitcher with a shutout—senior Kahla Nolan pitched the first game.
“Emma and Kahla both hit their spots effectively and our defense made the plays behind them,” Ridge said.
Up next, the Tigers have another conference double-header against Hiram College, and hope to continue their win streak.
“This season has been great so far and I am really looking forward to the rest of conference play. These past couple games have demonstrated how well our team has come together and the potential we have when we work as a team,” Ridge said.
The Tigers are also looking forward, and have a couple of goals that are entirely reachable, especially after their fantastic conference start.
“One of our team goals is to win the Conference Tournament. In order to achieve that goal, we must keep playing well against the teams in our conference,” Ridge said.
The game against Hiram will be the Tigers' next step to achieving this goal.
“To prepare for our next game against Hiram, we will continue to work on executing with runners on base,” Ridge said. “In our past couple games we have taken advantage of walks and errors by laying down bunts to move the runner around and hitting the ball to score the run.”
The game will be played at Hiram on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 1 p.m.