The softball team’s struggle for wins this season continued, as they played Rutgers-Camden on Tuesday, April 8, and lost both games in a doubleheader.
The Lions (6-20, 0-10) are keeping a positive mindset on the matter and keeping it all in perspective, though. When a team has a multitude of freshmen and sophomores, it is critical to build the team up and get the technique perfected before games will be won.
The Lions are in the process of building up their team, and it looks promising for the end of the season and next year. As they play more games, it will become easier to tack on those wins, and the Lions are confident they will get there soon.
In the first game of the doubleheader against Rutgers-Camden, the Scarlet Raptors scored early and often in a 6-2 victory.
Scoring three runs in the first inning, Rutgers took the early lead, and the Lions fought hard to catch up. Despite good pitching and defense, the Scarlet Raptors scored two more runs in the fourth, but the Lions refused to be shut out.
In the fifth inning, the Lions rallied and scored a run when freshman right fielder Olivia Fahr singled and was sent home by sophomore left fielder Christine Desiderio’s single to left field. The Lions scored once more in the seventh when Fahr doubled and was again sent home by Desiderio with another base hit.
In the next game of the doubleheader, the Scarlet Knights took the second victory with a score of 9-4. The Lions took the early lead when freshman second baseman Colleen Phelan had a two-run single, which scored senior center fielder Lindsey Williams and senior shortstop Kristen Lake.
However, their opponents came back strong in the bottom of the inning and scored three runs of their own. With the score tied at 3-3, the Lions tacked on one more run in the sixth when Williams singled, allowing freshman pinch runner Rachel Cipolla to score.
The Lions offense was then silenced as the Scarlet Knights scored six more runs, defeating the Lions 9-4.
On Saturday, April 12, the Lions took on Montclair State University in a hard-fought battle. Despite their opponents taking both games, the Lions looked improved and hopeful.
In the first game, the Lions fell in a 2-0 Montclair victory. Stellar defense began the game as the Lions held off a bases-loaded first inning. Senior pitcher Alex Carisone was on the mound for the Lions and pitched a strong couple of innings to start off the game.
Sophomore catcher Jamie Purcell aided the Lions’ strong offense, going two-for-three on the day. However, in the eigth inning, the Lions let up the only run of the game, ending the hard-fought battle.
The next game again resulted in a defeat for the Lions, as they fell 0-5. The scoring began in the fifth inning when the Red Hawks put three on the board and were then able to shut out the Lions for the remainder of the game.
The Lions, though, are learning from each game and are confident they are where they need to be, continuing to improve one game at a time.
“This season hasn’t gone exactly how we envisioned,” sophomore pitcher Ashtin Helmer said. “But we are focusing by remaining positive and by improving each game. We are taking each game as an experience to learn and improve. We are going to continue to battle until the season is over.”
This week, the Lions will take on Rowan University on Tuesday, April 15, and New Jersey City University on Friday, April 18.
