Lady Royals Softball Goes 7-1 on Spring Break Trip
The first game of the season the Lady Royals didn't know what to expect as they had yet to be on the field for a practice let a lone a game.
Spring Break Recap 2017
3/13/17: Game 1 at Riverland Community College 25-0 Win
W: Gina Selfe (1-0) 10 Strike outs only one hit allowed
The first game of the season the Lady Royals didn't know what to expect as they had yet to be on the field for a practice let alone a competitive contest. However it didn't take long to adjust as this sophomore heavy group was ready to pick up where they left off last season. The Lady Royals bats came out hot, racking up a solid outing at the plate. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "We hit with power to all gaps of the field and were able to take advantage of extra base opportunities from errant throws." He continued, "Our aggressiveness on the base paths is something that I have preached and I was proud to see that it took effect right out of the gate."
There were many outstanding performances on the day but it all started with Gina Selfe who hit .500 with 1 HR and 5 RBI's along with 5.0 innings pitched 1 hit allowed, 10 strike outs and no walks to get the first win of the season for the Lady Royals.
Game 2 at Riverland Community College 13-0 Win
W: Hanna Gary (1-0) 5 Strike outs only one hit allowed
In Game 2 of the double header against Riverland Community College the Lady Royals could have come out and had a letdown but that wasn't the case. They continued to rack up the runs and play stifling defense to help lead them to another victory over Riverland. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "There were times when we lost our approaches at the plate and tried to do too much with the pitches that we were given but overall I was happy with how we hit the ball and made plays at the plate." He continued, "We were able to put runs on the board every inning but one which I really liked to see, I thought we lost some aggressiveness on the base paths and we can't let that happen throughout the year." Tai Yamamoto had a great day for the Lady Royals, she hit .750 with 4 RBI's, 1 DBL, and 2 HR's. Overall the first two games for the softball team in the early part of the year were a success and they hope to keep that up throughout the year.
3/15/17: Irish Dome Tournament
Game 1 vs. #5 St. Could Technical and Community College 8-5 Win
W: Hanna Gary (2-0) 6 Strike outs
There were different factors at play that created some challenges for the Lady Royals in the opening game of the Irish Dome Tournament. The first, and major one, was that the game was at 7:15 am. This showed throughout the game as the team seemed flat defensively throughout and the attack approach at the plate was non-existent at times. It took awhile for the Lady Royals to wake up from the early morning funk and by the third inning they had found their stride. The #5 team in the nation proved that they were deserving of the ranking as they limited the Lady Royals run production after the 38 runs in the previous 2 games. The Lady Royals found themselves down 3-5 going into their last at bat but they were not willing to go down without a fight. They were able to string off five runs to take a three run lead and get the win. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "There were 5 fielding errors that we were able to overcome throughout the game. I am proud of the way we fought back after a slow start and we didn't lose our focus at the end of the game when it mattered most." Haunani Morton was a big part of the Royals offense as she hit .500 with 2 runs scored 1 RBI and 1 Stolen Base. The Lady Royals softball team moved to 3-0 on the season with that win.
Game 2 vs. Riverland Community College 11-3 Win
W: Kassandra Jones (1-0) 3 Strike outs 3 hits allowed
This game had trap written all over it for the Lady Royals. They had just faced and fought for a win against a tough St. Cloud Tech team and they had to turn around a face a team they had beaten twice before. This game was a little different for the Lady Royals switched up their lineup and a few positions to give Riverland a different look. The changed didn't seem to effect the Lady Royals as they started off fast scoring seven runs in two innings. However, things got a little complacent at the plate in the third and fourth innings with the bats going quiet at the plate. After the lull and few runs by Riverland in the later innings, the Lady Royals responded with 4 more runs of their own to finish the game for the win. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Overall I was happy with the way we had players step up and respond. We gave some different players opportunities and they proved that I can put them in different situations and they excelled."
Today's game was highlighted by Emma Gary who hit .667 1 HR, 3 RBI's, and 2 Runs Scored. With the win the Lady Royals Softball team moves to 4-0 on the season.
Game 3 vs. Itasca Community College 12-0 Win
W: Gina Selfe (2-0) 5 Strike outs threw her first Perfect Game
The final game of the morning triple header placed us against Itasca Community College. It was Gina Selfe's turn in the pitching rotation, and Head Coach Ben Morris had complete confidence that she was going to do well when he threw her out on the mound. To start the game she worked fast and knew what she wanted to do with each batter. Midway through the game you could get the feel that something special was about to happen. Selfe was in complete control and had command of the game from start to finish. Itasca could not touch her throughout the game and with a little help from the stingy Lady Royals defense Selfe was able to throw the first perfect game of her career. Offensively, everyone got into the mix and the Lady Royals were hitting the ball hard to gaps where the defense wasn't. After a 5 run first inning the Royals never looked back. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Today we did a few big things that I was extremely proud of. First was our outstanding defensive effort highlighted by the pitching effort of Gina Selfe. She was in the zone today and they just never figured her out. Secondly, we got the bats going early and often which helps your pitchers confidence knowing that the offense and defense has her back. Lastly, this was the first game of the season that we didn't commit an error. It all just came together and I couldn't be more proud of the ladies." Gina Selfe pitched a 5 inning 5 strike out perfect game and Emma Gary got a hit with every at bat, 1.000, 2 Runs Scored 3 RBI's and 2 HR's. The Lady Royals move to 5-0 on the season.
3/16/17: Irish Dome Tournament
Game 1 vs. Itasca Community College 17-9 Win
W: Hanna Gary (3-0)
Day 2 of the Irish Dome Tournament put the Lady Royals against the same teams that they played the previous day, but in reverse order. While it might have been the same teams there was one major difference to the first day. The 7:15 am game time didn't seem to bother the Lady Royals and they came out hot at the plate scoring 6 runs in the first inning of play. It wasn't always perfect and the team had some lapses defensively in the middle innings, but the sophomore leadership came through and the Lady Royals were able to make plays to squander Itasca's big inning opportunities. Overall, the Lady Royals hit as a team, 5 DBL's, 3 HR's, and were able to get 15 out of our 17 runs counted as an RBI. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "I am really happy we didn't let the early start time affect us today. We got girls on base and were able to bring them home." He continued, "I thought our pitching we kind of fell behind in some counts and were forced to throw pitches that we wouldn't normally throw to get back ahead, and Itasca was ready for them." Overall the game was a high scoring affair as both teams there were 26 runs put on the board. Krista Waldo made plays for the Lady Royals as she hit .667, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI's and 1 DBL. The Lady Royals softball team moves to 6-0 on the year.
Game 2 vs. Riverland Community College 10-2 Win
W: Kassandra Jones (2-0)
With this being the fourth contest against Riverland, Head Coach Ben Morris wanted to focus at the plate more and drive all the way through the ball to the gaps in the outfield. The team embraced the challenge from their coach and came through with 6 extra base hits which included 3 DBL's, 1 TRPL, and 2 HR's. Coach Morris said, "The aggressiveness on the base paths came back and the intensity picked up as the innings went on. I loved to see that." He continued, "Kass was effective on the mound and threw another great game against them." All game Kassandra Jones continued to work ahead and wasn't afraid of them hitting the ball as she trust in her defense. It was a big day for the Gary sisters as neither one of them came away from the plate hitless. Emma Gary hit 1.000, 1 DBL, 1 TRPL, 1 HR, 3 RBI's, not to be outdone Hanna Gary hit 1.000, 2 Runs Scored, 1 RBI, 3 SB's.
Game 3 vs. #5 St. Cloud Technical and Community College 10-13 Loss
L: Gina Selfe (2-1) Threw well against the #5 ranked team in Division III and battled throughout the contest. The Lady Royals got out to a fast start leading 5-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning. St. Cloud responded and was able to put 9 runs on the board. It all started with an error in the field by the Lady Royals and they were never able to recover. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "What I was happy about was that we didn't quit and roll-over. We chipped away at the lead and put ourselves in a position to tie the game in the top of the 7th inning." The Lady Royals had a chance but the St. Cloud second baseman made a diving play that ended the comeback effort and the game. Coach Morris went on to say, "I was proud of how we battled throughout the contest. One thing is for sure we are never out of a game with our strength and approaches at the plate." The outstanding performance of the game came from Emma Gary who hit .750, 2 Runs Scored, 3 RBI's, 1 BB, and 1 DBL. The Lady Royals softball team finishes with a 7-1 record for the week.
Overall, the week went well for the Lady Royals softball team as it was good to get out on the field, play some competitive games and the girls were able to try to put everything together. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "I was happy that we went 7-1 on the week. We are in a good spot heading into conference season in a couple of weeks. The girls are hitting the ball well and hard to the gaps. We aren't missing many balls and popping them up, but when we do they know what to do and how to fix their approach for the next at bat. Defensively we have some room to improve, but with drills and game experience that will come around full circle. Pitching just having a belief in their pitches and understanding the importance of starting ahead will give them the mentality that they can win whenever they step to the mound on any given day regardless of who we are matched up against." After week 1 the Lady Royals are ranked #2 in batting average, #2 in On Base Percentage, #1 in Slugging Percentage, and tied for #19 in Home Runs nationally throughout all of Division II Junior Colleges. The Lady Royals are sure going to be a fun team to watch all season.