The Tigers won three out of four games at the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament this past weekend including a 5-2 victory over the 23rd-ranked hosts, to avenge their loss to the Titans the previous day.
In the first game of the weekend against Buena Vista University, senior Andi Sarkisian scored on a junior Megan Montgomery single in the first inning. Sophomore Sidney Holler added an insurance run in the fourth inning as she hit a leadoff homer which gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers added two more runs in the fifth on junior Lauren Godden’s RBI double and Holler’s run-scoring single. Godden then delivered a two-run double in the seventh and junior Emma Baldwin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the final run.
Sophomore Brooke Bandy was encouraged by the team’s performance in game one.
“It was a team effort with great offense and defense and a solid win against a great team,” Bandy said.
In the second game of the tournament, the Tigers could not muster enough offense and suffered a 5-1 loss to Illinois Wesleyan. Despite the disappointment of losing, the team left the loss determined to win the rest of the games of the tournament.
“We had a tough loss against Wesleyan which hurt even more because they knocked out the team last year at Regionals, but we did not let that define us,” said first-year Julia Bork. “In previous weeks this could have set us back, but we learned from it and came out strong and confident the next day and played together.”
In the third game of the weekend against Anderson University, DePauw totaled nine hits, paced by junior Liz Getz’s three. Anderson could not keep up with the Tigers’ offensive, and the women stormed to an 8-3 win.
The team rode its momentum into game four as they were given a chance to redeem their loss to Illinois Wesleyan. They took advantage of the opportunity as they defeated the Titans 5-2.
Senior Gabby Smart walked in the bottom of the first, and Montgomery doubled her to third. Godden then singled home Smart, and the Tigers took the lead after an Illinois Wesleyan error. Sophomore Kat Panos says that the first inning set the tone for the entire game.
“The first few innings are crucial,” Panos said. “And sometimes it takes our team those few innings to adjust and work out the kinks.”
DePauw added another unearned run to the board in the fourth inning before Montgomery doubled in Smart in the fifth and later scored on a grounder by Godden.
Smart, Montgomery, and first-year Abey Bass each had two of DePauw’s nine hits. Sophomore Kat Panos believed the team’s offense produced at a high level.
“Our offensive lineup produced runs utilizing different ways to get on base,” Panos said. “From top to bottom it is a very solid lineup.”
Having defeated their second nationally-ranked opponent of the season, the team sees the pieces coming together as they enter conference play.
“Coming off of this weekend we are very confident but continue to look to get better each lift, practice, and game,” Head Coach Erica Hanrahan said.
One of the most positive changes first-year Jordyn Fera saw this weekend was how smart the team played.
“We are starting to be more aware of the situations around us and the softball IQ is going up,” Fera said.
The team improved their record to 8-14 after the weekend. They take the field next on Thursday as they travel to Ohio Wesleyan University for a double header.