Lady Royals roll and snag two on the road

Southeast Community College: 3/25/17

Game 1: at Southeast Community College 19 – 7 Win

                Gina Selfe (3-1)

                This was the Lady Royals first contest outdoors and they were eager to see how they would perform. The weather could have been a hurdle as it was rainy with some wind but they picked up right where they left off last week at the plate. They Lady Royals didn't let the cooler weather detract from what they wanted to get done offensively. They were able to put up twelve runs in the first two innings against a good Southeast pitcher. They were hard hit balls that were finding gaps which lead to being able to be aggressive on the base paths. Gina Selfe pitched a solid game and was able to rely on thethe defense behind her. The Lady Royals made plays when Selfe needed them to and killed potential big innings in the second and fourth innings for Southeast.

Outstanding Performance: Krista Waldo: hit .750, On Base Percentage 1.000, 2 HR's, and 6 RBI's

Game 2: at Southeast Community College 22 – 14 Win

                Hanna Gary  (4-0) 6 Strike outs

                Game two set up to be a mental game as the cooler weather was setting in while taking a break after the first game. The Lady Royals were able to win the first one but Coach Morris said he was, "A little worried our aggressiveness might fade after the time off." He ended up being right as defensively the Lady Royals weren't as sound as usual which led to some easy runs for Southeast. However, the bats got started hot again scoring 4 in the first inning. The game was close in the top of the fourth inning as the Lady Royals were up 5 – 4. That didn't last long as they exploded for a 7 run fourth inning. The joy was short lives as they allowed Southeast to score seven as well. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "The Sophomores took the lead in the huddle before the start of the fifth inning and the team rallied behind them. We were able to put up our highest inning run production of the day with 9 runs in the fifth inning." He continued, "This game was good for us as it showed once again that we are never out of a game with our approaches at the plate and aggressiveness on the bases. There will be days when our pitching doesn't sync like it has this season, and we need to be able to have solid fundamental defense behind our pitcher to aid their confidence." The 9 run fifth ended up being the difference and the Lady Royals rolled from there.

Outstanding Performance: Tai Yamamoto: hit .600 with 2 HR's, and 5 RBI's

Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Overall I thought that we played well, but there are still some things that we need to work on. The girls responded well to the adverse weather conditions. I had told them when they first spoke up about it getting off of the bus that both teams are playing in the same conditions the team that will win these games will be the one that is more mentally tough. I am proud of each and every one of these players for accepting my challenge."

The Lady Royals head to Minneapolis this week to square off against Dakota County Technical College to open up Regional play and then Sunday in Wahpeton against North Dakota State College of Science to open Conference play.

Go Royals!