I can finally post a blog about our games instead of our practices :)
Last week we were able to beat the snow and get a couple of games in against St. Mary's, and luckily we had some time to work on areas we noticed needed improving before beginning an 8-game, 4-day adventure this week. What I love is that we may have made it a little too close in Game 1, but we literally came alive in Game 2 to live up to what we can do as a team. Coach warned us how different this season would be than last. As the underdogs from Day 1, we never had a thing to lose on the ballfield. We were expected to fall, expected to not make great plays, expected not to hit well. This season, the tables have completely turned. Playing St. Mary's showed us that teams play well when they have nothing to lose. We know, because we've been there. It's not easy getting used to having targets on our backs, but I have faith that once we get a few more games in this season, we will rise up to all of the hype.
Peru State decided to play us in a last minute deal, and I am very grateful for their coach committing to travel on such short notice in order to get some games in. One thing we faced that we weren't very used to was being behind late in the game. It wasn't until the 5th inning that we started adjusting to the pitcher, and luckily for us it wasn't too little, too late. T (Tianna George) came up HUGE for us by nailing a 2-run homerun that put us up a run. Jen pitched great and deserved the win hands down. Thankfully Game 2 was a little less nervewracking. Jess pitched so great, and of course, Jen hit two homeruns. What else is new? HAHA! :) It feels great to see our team not only start strong and end strong, but also work through adversity and come through when it matters. The more we play, the more excited I am to see how the season will unfold once HAAC play starts.
St. Mary's came down to play us again for two more "home" games. I say "home" games because we are still unable to play at Williams Field on campus, but have the ability to use Lone Elm Sports Complex instead. It took us a while to score, but once we did, we never really stopped. 7 runs in one inning was plenty of runs to come away with a win, but the final score ended up being 10-1 in 5 innings (via the 8-run ahead mercy rule). Jen hit her 4th homerun of the season while I hit my 1st...and of course, my mom missed it because she was getting her jacket out of the car. Kayla, Jess, and JJ (Jordan Payne) all pitched great, making it easier for us to hold onto our lead. Kayla got hit in the wrist by a line drive, but still pitched a few innings after. I'm really impressed with how she stayed in after getting hit, and hopefully it is not a serious injury.
The second game was just as impressive from our pitching staff--Annie throwing her ridiculous change-up that even fools me from first base, followed by Tianna who literally blew the ball right past every batter she faced, then Becca hitting her spots left and right. In 2 games, we used 6 of our 8 pitchers. I couldn't help but laugh when I overheard a St. Mary's player say, "Jeez! How many pitchers do they have?!" from inside the dugout. Words can't describe how great it feels to play defense behind such a diverse and quality pitching staff. Offensively we struck early and often, which I (and surely Coach Babs) love! T hit another homerun in the first inning, and everything else was hit-after-hit-after-hit. A few errors helped us out too, but I was extremely pleased with how often we put the ball in play. Thanks again to the 8-run ahead rule, game two ended quickly with an 11-0 score.
Sadly our four games against Grand View University got cancelled this weekend (STUPID RAIN!!). We have a busy week ahead of us though: a double header against an always good Bethany College at their place Tuesday...a 4-game series between Kansas Wesleyan and McPherson College (both away games) on Wednesday...a triple header in BEAUTIFUL OKLAHOMA against an up and coming program in Oklahoma Wesleyan...and then a 17-hour bus ride to Savannah, Georgia for 6 games against some of the best teams we will face all season.
Keep checking mnusports.com and/or the MNU Athletics Facebook page for updates. I can't promise to be as efficient as they are, but I will do my best to post another entry next week before we head out of state for Spring Break :)
#21 MNU Softball is 6-0!! GREAT DAY (AND WEEK) TO BE A PIONEER!!
Love Always,
Taylor #21
Last week we were able to beat the snow and get a couple of games in against St. Mary's, and luckily we had some time to work on areas we noticed needed improving before beginning an 8-game, 4-day adventure this week. What I love is that we may have made it a little too close in Game 1, but we literally came alive in Game 2 to live up to what we can do as a team. Coach warned us how different this season would be than last. As the underdogs from Day 1, we never had a thing to lose on the ballfield. We were expected to fall, expected to not make great plays, expected not to hit well. This season, the tables have completely turned. Playing St. Mary's showed us that teams play well when they have nothing to lose. We know, because we've been there. It's not easy getting used to having targets on our backs, but I have faith that once we get a few more games in this season, we will rise up to all of the hype.
Peru State decided to play us in a last minute deal, and I am very grateful for their coach committing to travel on such short notice in order to get some games in. One thing we faced that we weren't very used to was being behind late in the game. It wasn't until the 5th inning that we started adjusting to the pitcher, and luckily for us it wasn't too little, too late. T (Tianna George) came up HUGE for us by nailing a 2-run homerun that put us up a run. Jen pitched great and deserved the win hands down. Thankfully Game 2 was a little less nervewracking. Jess pitched so great, and of course, Jen hit two homeruns. What else is new? HAHA! :) It feels great to see our team not only start strong and end strong, but also work through adversity and come through when it matters. The more we play, the more excited I am to see how the season will unfold once HAAC play starts.
St. Mary's came down to play us again for two more "home" games. I say "home" games because we are still unable to play at Williams Field on campus, but have the ability to use Lone Elm Sports Complex instead. It took us a while to score, but once we did, we never really stopped. 7 runs in one inning was plenty of runs to come away with a win, but the final score ended up being 10-1 in 5 innings (via the 8-run ahead mercy rule). Jen hit her 4th homerun of the season while I hit my 1st...and of course, my mom missed it because she was getting her jacket out of the car. Kayla, Jess, and JJ (Jordan Payne) all pitched great, making it easier for us to hold onto our lead. Kayla got hit in the wrist by a line drive, but still pitched a few innings after. I'm really impressed with how she stayed in after getting hit, and hopefully it is not a serious injury.
The second game was just as impressive from our pitching staff--Annie throwing her ridiculous change-up that even fools me from first base, followed by Tianna who literally blew the ball right past every batter she faced, then Becca hitting her spots left and right. In 2 games, we used 6 of our 8 pitchers. I couldn't help but laugh when I overheard a St. Mary's player say, "Jeez! How many pitchers do they have?!" from inside the dugout. Words can't describe how great it feels to play defense behind such a diverse and quality pitching staff. Offensively we struck early and often, which I (and surely Coach Babs) love! T hit another homerun in the first inning, and everything else was hit-after-hit-after-hit. A few errors helped us out too, but I was extremely pleased with how often we put the ball in play. Thanks again to the 8-run ahead rule, game two ended quickly with an 11-0 score.
Sadly our four games against Grand View University got cancelled this weekend (STUPID RAIN!!). We have a busy week ahead of us though: a double header against an always good Bethany College at their place Tuesday...a 4-game series between Kansas Wesleyan and McPherson College (both away games) on Wednesday...a triple header in BEAUTIFUL OKLAHOMA against an up and coming program in Oklahoma Wesleyan...and then a 17-hour bus ride to Savannah, Georgia for 6 games against some of the best teams we will face all season.
Keep checking mnusports.com and/or the MNU Athletics Facebook page for updates. I can't promise to be as efficient as they are, but I will do my best to post another entry next week before we head out of state for Spring Break :)
#21 MNU Softball is 6-0!! GREAT DAY (AND WEEK) TO BE A PIONEER!!
Love Always,
Taylor #21
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