Royals Roll on the road

The Royals softball team went on the road this past weekend and came away with 6 wins against district and conference opponents.

First up on the weekend was back to back double headers versus Dakota County Technical College out of Minnesota.

Dakota County Technical College 3/31/17

Game 1: at Dakota County Technical College: 12 – 4 Win

                Amber Stewart (1-0)

This game was an important one to get for the Royals as this was their first true road test. It was also important as it was the first game of a long six game weekend to open up Region XIII and MonDak Conference play. The Lady Royals were able to keep the bats hot as they have all season by putting up seven runs in the first two innings. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "I loved our hot start. I like that we get out and get up early on teams. However, the middle innings are continuing to be an issue that we need to work on. We seem to get complacent offensively and aren't as focused and aggressive on the base paths." The Lady Royals heard the challenge from their coach and the final three innings they were able to get back into thier groove offensively and put five more runs on the board. Coach Morris said, "Overall I was pleased with our performance as we were able to rack up 20 hits in seven innings of play and held our errors down to two in a seven inning matchup."

Outstanding performance:

Jade Ledochowski: she hit .800, scored 3 runs, had 2 RBI's and 2 Doubles to lead the Lady Royals

Game 2: at Dakota County Technical College: 11 – 3 Win

                Hanna Gary (5-0)

Game two started much like the first with the Lady Royals putting up 6 runs within the first two innings of play. Head Coach Ben Morris said, " I made it a point of emphasis offensively on how important it is to stay up and aggressive in the box and on the bases with the early leads that we have been having and the ladies answered the call." They were held scoreless in the third inning, but after that we were able to put run(s) on the board in every other inning. Hanna Gary put in a solid performance on the mound and worked well with the lead. Coach Morris said, "Our pitchers need to be confident and able to attack when we have a lead. When we attack hitters by getting ahead in counts the pressure is on the opposition and we are able to play our game and gain momentum in the process. Hanna did a very good job of this today."

Outstanding performance:

Tai Yamamoto: she hit .750, scored 1 run, had 4 RBI's, and 1 double

Dakota County Technical College 4/1/17

Game 1: vs. Dakota County Technical College: 8 – 4 Win

                Gina Selfe (4-1) 7 Strike Outs

Day two placed the Lady Royals against the same opponent in DCTC for a double header, but this time they were the home team on the scoreboard. Gina Selfe had been battling the flu that she throughout the week but watching the game you wouldn't have noticed. She was able to throw a complete game in a solid outing collecting 7 strikeouts and working with a lead once the Lady Royals jumped ahead in the 3rd. Offensively, this game was a little different as they didn't have any big innings but were able to score in every inning.. Dakota County was able to race out to an early 3 nothing lead, but the Lady Royals were not phased and were able to chip away. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Despite being down early I was happy how our girls were able to keep their approaches at the plate. I was proud of how we handled the early deficit and how we were able to come back and get the victory."

Outstanding Performance:

Emma Gary: she hit 1.000, scored 2 Runs, had 2 RBI's, 1 Double, and 1 Stolen Base to lead the Royals

Game 2: vs. Dakota County Technical College: 2 – 1 Win

                Amber Stewart (2-0) 11 Strike Outs

The final game of the series was a tough defensive battle throughout that included good pitching on both sides and defensive plays being made in a timely fashion. This being the final of the four games in Rosemount, MN DCTC was hungry to come out and get a win. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "I was worried about intensity going in as the girls were seemingly starting to lose focus, but Amber Stewart, along with the sophomores, were able to get everyone focused on the idea of sweeping a team that Lake Region State College has never accomplished that against." The Lady Royals were able to strike first for one run in the bottom of the first inning, and even though it wasn't their normal first couple inning output it ended up being all that Stewart needed to gain confidence. She came right out and attacked the first hitter of the game and never looked back. Amber was dealing up there and knew what she wanted to do with each hitter that she faced. All of her pitches were working well and it showed as she collected 11 strikeouts throughout the course of the game. Coach Morris said, "Defensively we had no errors and made the big plays when we needed to after we stretched our lead to 2 – 0 in the fifth inning. That extra run was the difference in the game as DCTC was able to squeak one across on Stewart in the top of the seventh before she struck out the side to end the contest."

Outstanding Performance:

Cherie Malacas: she hit .500 and scored the only 2 Runs of the game

Amber Stewart: 7.0 Innings pitched, 4 Hits, 1 Run, and 11 Strike Outs

North Dakota State College of Science 4/2/17

Game 1: at North Dakota State College of Science 8 – 0 Win

                Hanna Gary (6-0) 10 Strike Outs

The final day of our three-day road trip brought the Lady Royals to Wahpeton, ND for a two game set against MonDak foe North Dakota State College of Science. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "I was nervous about how we would perform on the third day as we got into town late and had to turn around and play two conference games within a short time period." The wind caused issues for both teams early but the Lady Royals were able to get on the scoreboard in the third inning of the contest plating two. After the girls got back within their approaches in the box they were able to put up six more runs in the fifth inning. Hanna Gary had another solid outing on the mound and really kept the team in the position to break out offensively and win the game. She loaded the bases early, but took over right after that leaving the Wildcat runners stranded as she began to over work the NDSCS hitters. Coach Morris said, "We will have issues with weather every game that we are in, but we need to be disciplined enough to know that our approaches at the plate that we have had all year will prevail in any condition."

Outstanding Performance:

Hanna Gary she hit .333, scored 1 Run, had 1 Double, 5 Innings Pitched, 5 Hits, 0 Runs, and 10 Strike Outs

Game 2: at North Dakota State College of Science 18 – 0 Win

                Gina Selfe (5-1)

There was no early slump for the Lady Royals as they learned from the end of game one and took their offensive approaches into game two with a greater confidence. They were back to their usual ways early in the game putting up 8 runs in the first two innings. They didn't stop there as the girls didn't let compacentcy set in and added another 10 runs in the third and fourth innings capped off by a mammoth three run shot into the wind for Tai Yamamoto. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "With the offense playing the way it was, that gave Gina the ability to attack the Wildcat hitters right away and she never looked back. She wasn't afraid of NDSCS hitting the ball as she had confidence in her teammates and the fielding behind her." Overall the Lady Royals racked up 20 hits and scored 18 runs in the final game of the road trip.

Outstanding Performance:

Emma Gary: she hit 1.000, scored 4 Runs, had 5 RBI's, 3 Doubles, and a Home Run that was called back due to a base running error by the Royals