LRSC Softball Goes 3-1 Against WSC

LRSC Softball goes 3-1 against Williston State College in 2 days.

Williston State College 4/14/17

Game 1: at Williston State College 6 – 14 Loss

                Amber Stewart (2-2)

Williston is a team that is circled on the calendar every year for the Royals as pivotal games for MonDak Conference positioning and seeding for the Regional Tournament. Game one was a hard fought defensive battle throughout. The Royals were able to jump out to an early lead by scoring two runs in the first inning and holding them to just one within the first two innings. The Tetons answered back, they were able to take the lead in the bottom of the third inning. The lead was short lived as the Royals drove in runs in the 4th to get back on top. Things started to go south in the bottom of the 4th for the Royals. Errors, bad throws and the wind all played into the run for the Tetons. They took the lead in the bottom of the 4th and never looked back, defeating the Royals 14-6. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Offensively we hit the ball well when we needed to with runners in scoring position, but once again we took some of the middle innings off and lost a bit of focus at the plate. This has been an issue that we have been working on as a team to fix and we are making small improvements each and every game." 

Outstanding Performance:

Krista Waldo: she hit .667, scored 2 runs, and had 1 RBI

Game 2: at Williston State College: 14 – 11 win

                Hanna Gary (8 – 0)

Game two proved to be just like the first as a tough defensive battle. Through the first four innings of play runs were hard to come by as the Royals were only able to push 2 runs across the plate and with Williston getting 3. Hanna Gary kept the Royals in the game by continuing to attack hitters at the plate and putting the pressure on them. The fifth and sixth innings proved to be the difference in the game. The Royals racked up 12 total runs and chased two of the Williston State pitchers off of the mound. That 12 run explosion was enough to hold on for the win in what turned out to be a high scoring contest. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Our aggressive nature on the basepaths and at the plate can get us in trouble at times but it rewards us more often that it doesn't. I am proud of how we bounced back to split on the road against a tough Williston State College team."

Outstanding Performance:

Emma Gary: she hit .750, scored 3 runs, had 4 RBI's, 1 DBL, 1 TRPL, and 2 Stolen Bases to lead the Royals

Game 3: vs Williston State College 8 – 3 Win

                Amber Stewart (3-2) 7 Strike Outs

This was the home opener for the Royals and they were able to play in front of our home crowd for the first time this season. Amber Stewart was back on the mound for the Royals after a tough outing the day before but today she got the best of the Tetons. It took a couple innings for the Royals bats to get going but by the 3rd they were all warmed up. The Royals were able to overcome a few defensive miscues and make the plays needed in order to keep Williston's run output to a minimum. The team had a season high 7 errors defensively which is uncharacteristic and helped get a few Teton runners across. With the weather that we have had we have been unable to really get out there and figure out our field. The middle three innings were big for the Royals as they proved to be the difference in the 8-3 win over the Tetons.

Outstanding Performance:

Emma Gary: she hit .333, scored 1 run, had 3 RBI's, and 1 Home Run to lead the Royals offensively

Game 4: vs. Williston State College: 9 – 3 Win

                Hanna Gary (9-0) 5 Strike Outs

The final game of the series was an important one to get as it would set the momentum for the big conference home stretch. Hanna Gary picked up right where she left off the day before on the mound and didn't show any signs of slowing down. She had the Teton hitters guessing the whole game and was really in the groove. The Royals came up big again in the middle innings and opened the game up with a 5 run sixth inning behind a 3 RBI performance from Hanna Gary. The added runs gave Hanna all the confidence that she needed to finish out the top of the seventh and seal the victory.

Outstanding Performance:

Cherie Malacas: she hit .667, scored 2 Runs, and finished out a great series from the leadoff spot

Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Overall I was pleased with our effort and how we were able to perform after dropping the first game of the series. We still have some things to work on defensively, but the determination of each girl carried us through and gave us the chance to take 3 of 4 from conference foe Williston State College. We are focused on the first game against NDSCS on Monday afternoon, looking forward to getting back on our home field to play them."