Softball: Tough Games in Tampa

The softball team began their season on Feb. 14, in Tampa, Fl. at the USF Tournament where they left with a 0-5 record.

Beginning the tournament, the softball team fell 8-0 to Illinois before being defeated by host South Florida with an 8-6 decision.

In the first game, Illinois managed four hits from pitchers Krystian DeWitt and Nikki Gershen then continued to score twice in the third, four in the fourth and once in the fifth, ending with Wright State falling to Illinois.

In the second game, host South Florida scored 3-0 against trailing Wright State, until Reagan Stofcheck and Libby Pfeffer brought in Kristi Boreing and Jess Gorman who had been left in scoring positions making the game 3-2.

Becka Peterson stepped up to the plate giving Wright State her first home run of the season; bringing in two runs and giving WSU the advantage of 4-2.

The game ended with South Florida scoring one in the fourth and four in the fifth leaving with the win.

The next day, Wright State went up against Pittsburgh. The Raiders scored the first run followed by Stofcheck advancing to first leaving Gorman on second. Pfeffer then went to receive her second RBI of the tournament bringing Jess Gorman home for the score of

1-0 Raiders.

“I feel pretty good, [with a batting average being .357 and getting two RBIs] they were against good teams, so that makes it better too” Pfeffer said.

Pittsburgh ended the game with a home run in the third and a run in the seventh leaving the score 2-1.

“The South Florida game and the Pittsburgh game we were right there” coach Curylo said “little by little they were getting comfortable and just letting things happen, where as the first day they were trying to force everything to be there.”

In the second game of the day, Binghamton began early scoring three in the first, two in the fifth and four in the seventh leaving the score 9-0 Bearcats.

The last game of the series was to #1 Tennessee, where Wright State fell to a 10-2 decision.

With the Volunteers taking an early lead scoring three in the first, one in the second and two in the third, Pfeffer hit a single to center and Becka Peterson followed with her second home run of the tournament leaving the score 6-2.

In the fifth, the Volunteers came back and took control scoring four, rounding out the score at 10-2.

“I think it was a good weekend in terms of being tested” coach Curylo said “And some of those games, the games weren’t as bad as the scores, even in the Illinois game with the score 10-0, our pitchers only gave up four hits.”

“I think we played not to the best of our ability [this weekend], but we still have a lot of improvement, but it was good, we looked over film and we know what we need to fix, but we’re excited that we got to play against some of the best teams” Boreing said, going into the Hilltopper classic Feb. 28 in Bowling Green, Ky., “We are excited, I think we are ready to go, we are out here to work and get better and we’re always confident.”