Pioneer LogLewis & Clark College’s Student-Run Newspaper

Softball ends with high hopes for next season

April 30, 2010

by Lindsey Bosse

The Lewis & Clark softball team started its season stuck in a rut from the previous season; the team and its opponents were convinced of LC’s inevitable doom every time they took the diamond.  Since those early days of insecurities, the team has grown not only in skill, but also in confidence and in passion for the game.

“We’re leaving with higher expectations and with more knowledge,” said Kristin Breninger (’12).  “We started in that mindset, but challenged a lot of teams. Maybe only for an inning or a game, but we’ve been defeating our reputation; slowly, but surely.”

The team ended the season 0-28 in conference and 3-26 overall.  The final games of the season were against George Fox last weekend, playing a doubleheader at home and then a doubleheader in Newberg, Ore.  The first two games were at the Huston Sports Complex, ending in 8-1 and 8-6 in favor of the Bruins.   

In game one, the Bruins lost no time in snagging two runs in the first inning.  LC answered with a run in the first as well, ran by Jamie Moon (’11) on an error by George Fox.  The second inning gave five runs to the Bruins, which would sail them through the game to the win.  With the exception of a run by George Fox in the third inning, the rest of the game went by with two or fewer hits by both teams and no runs.  

Game two showed improvement for scoring on LC’s part. At the end of the second inning the Pioneers were up 2-1 thanks to a homer by Caitlin Relyea (’12).   In the fourth inning, the Bruins added three more runs to their total, gained two more in the fifth and finished scoring in the sixth with two more runs.  LC stalled on runs until the sixth inning, where Relyea managed another homer, and Caroline Devincenzi (’12) and Michaela Satter (’11) both scored.  In the seventh inning, the Pios managed one more run, but it was not enough to defeat the Bruins who won by two points.

Day two, the Pios traveled to the Bruins to play their last games of the season.  In game one, both teams held off scoring until the fifth inning where LC finally managed two runs by Moon.  By the end of the sixth inning, George Fox had caught up with three runs, bringing the score to 3-2 going into the seventh, and ending the game with that score.  
In game two the Bruins stung quick with five runs off of five hits in the first inning.  LC was unable to respond until a single run in the third, in which George Fox came back to score three more runs in their portion of the inning.  By the end of the fourth, LC had three runs and the Bruins had ten.  The Pios managed three runs in the sixth, which wasn’t enough to catch the Bruins, and the game ended 10-6.  

“McFeeley pitched great; Caitlin and Jess had great hits; everyone just wanted to have a great season, and we did,” Breninger said.

The team is coming off the season with a handful of injuries and will take a couple weeks to recuperate.  Next year, the team will only lose one senior, Jessica Mullins (’10), and will start in the fall with a softball class.

“Jess is a great leader and will definitely be missed,” said Breninger.