I think I can confidently say that every athlete in the world hates losing. On any level, at any age, in any event...losing never feels good. In my short career at MNU, I haven't lost very often. In fact, I have won more games in the 5 months I've been a Pioneer than I did in my two-year junior college career. Even then, I hated every loss we sufferred. It wasn't until I came here to MidAmerica when I learned that losing can actually be a good thing after all. I think our Spring Break trip is a prime example of that.
If you are reading this blog, I would assume that you are probably aware of the outcomes of each game we played in Savannah, Georgia. Despite defeating an NCAA Division I school twice (Savannah State University), we unfortunately were swept by a DII school (Armstrong Atlantic University) and a fellow NAIA ranked opponent on their home field (SCAD). While losing itself is hard to swallow, barely losing is even harder. You may have noticed that two of our games were decided by one run, with another being by two. Two of those three losses were games in which we were winning, but could not hold onto in the end. Call me crazy, but I would rather lose by 10 runs than one. I would rather never be up than lose a lead in the final inning. Coach Babs said at the end of our two-day series that he felt like we needed these losses; that we needed to know what the other teams we play go through when we beat them. As hard as it is to accept, I know--and the rest of the team knows--that he is right.
MNU vs. SCAD (6-7 L and 1-3 L)
I have always believed that 6 runs should win a ballgame. In fact, 3 or 4 should win a ballgame. Had we not given SCAD 4 runs in the very first inning, we easily would have won our first game. The pitching was astronomically better than what we had seen in our first 13 games of the season, but it took us a few innings to finally make our adjustments at the plate. SCAD won simply because they took advantage of extra opportunities we gave them--both on defense and with our bats. Jen, True, and Chelsea all hit homeruns, while Annie and TG split pitching time. The second game (our final game) came down to three big hits--one on our side and two on theirs. Fortunately for them, both of theirs came with runners in scoring position. It sucks that mistakes in a sport like softball can cost a team a game, whereas typically, mistakes in other sports only cost a team a small opportunity. SCAD took advantage of our missed opportunities, and in both games, that made all the difference.
MNU vs. Savannah State University (8-1 W and 1-0 W in 8 innings)
It seems odd that we managed to easily defeat an NCAA DI program by 7 runs in the first game, but then be forced to play an additional inning against them right after. The score of the first game best reflects how good we are as a team. The score of the second game simply reflects how easy it is to struggle when you think you can win half-heartedly. True and Jen hit homeruns in the first contest. Costa also won the game in the circle while receiving relief from Gale, Becca, and JJ. Kayla threw a complete game shutout in Game 2, and most definitely deserved the win she got thanks to TG's single through the right side in the bottom on the 8th inning.
MNU vs. Armstrong Atlantic University (4-5 L and 8-1 L)
I want to begin by saying that this school is the best team we have played thus far, and could possibly be the best team we end up playing all season. With the help of two homeruns by Jen, and consistent pitching from Jess, we had this DII school down going into the bottom of the 6th inning. Once again, small mistakes cost us the game. Armstrong scored two runs in their half of the 7th and shut us down in the bottom to get a come-from-behind win. Like I said earlier, I'd much rather lose by 10 than one, especially when you consider we were one out away from winning. The second game was ours for just a short second, then Armstrong literally took over. They hit three homeruns, all with runners on base, of course. Our bats never really came alive, despite a homerun by Salty in the top of the 1st. There's really nothing more to say. We finally learned what it is like to lose badly, and it was probably the biggest pride check I think I've ever experienced.
With every loss comes a lesson. Some lessons are easier to see than others. Coach has always said he prefers his team to go 20-0 in conference even if they go 0-20 before that. We've played 17 games and have won 13. Before Georgia, we didn't know what it was like to lose this year. Now we do. We now understand what it takes to hit quality pitching, what it means to start strong and finish strong, what we have to do if we want to repeat as HAAC Champions. I know that our experiences in Georgia will impact how we perform in the 20 games we play that really matter. I just hope that we as a team can understand that losing is inevitable in a failure sport like softball. What matters is how we use it to better ourselves in the future. I want to extend a huge CONGRATS to Seniors Jen Costa and Ashley Salter for making the All-Tournament Team in Georgia. I would also like to thank the families who made the drive to Savannah to watch us play. I don't ever think enough words can be said to signify how much it means to have you there cheering us on. Thank you for everything.
The small amount of time we had not on the softball field was well worth the 18 hour bus ride. We found entertainment in going to the beach, shopping, and enjoying our luxurious condominiums complete with a full kitchen, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a hot tub. We were happy to be in the sunshine while Olathe was being snowed on, but not so thrilled about dousing ourselves in dryer sheets and bug spray due to the large gnat population in Savannah. All in all, our trip was fun and much-needed. I am anxious to open up HAAC play with our double header against Culver-Stockton tomorrow, and even more excited to continue our quest for another trip down South to Alabama and the NAIA National Tournament in May.
See you at the ballpark!
Love Always,
Taylor #21
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