Royals Finish Strong, Sweep DCB

The Lake Region State College Softball team was able to finish the season on a high note winning their last 4 games.

Dakota College at Bottineau 4/29/17

Game 1: at Dakota College at Bottineau 3 – 1 Win

                Hanna Gary (12-0) 10 Strike Outs

Bottineau is always a tough place to play no matter what sport it is and today proved no different. The Lady Royals got off to a slow start. Uncharacteristically, the team just couldn't square the ball up offensively and left runners stranded throughout the game. Hanna Gary won this game for the Lady Royals with a gutsy performance on the mound. She continued her great season with another attacking performance. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "She was able to do whatever she wanted to with the ball, as she has done all season long, but today it was in a different situation. Offensively we couldn't squeeze a run across the plate until the third inning and never was able to get that key hit to spring us for our usual big innings. Defensively we were there, but it seemed to take us awhile to get on our toes and play the attacking style that we are known for."

Outstanding Performance:

Hanna Gary: she hit .750, Scored 1 Run, had 1 Double, and Stole 2 Bases. She also got the win with 7.0 Innings Pitched, only allowing 5 Hits, 1 Earned Run, and Striking Out 10.

Game 2: at Dakota College at Bottineau 11 – 9 Win

                Amber Stewart (7-2) 12 Strike Outs

Game two of the double header saw the Lady Royals focused at the plate to start the contest by racking up 4 runs in the first inning of play, Bottineau answered right back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game. The Lady Royals were able to answer back with 5 more runs in the next three innings, but then the bats went cold in the final innings of the contest. The Lady Jacks were able to consistently keep putting the ball in play and put pressure on the defense. Uncharacteristic errors allowed them to continue in their big innings. The Lady Royals had three errors in the game, and one of them allowed Bottineau to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Amber Stewart was a big reason that we were able to put ourselves in a position to win. She didn't let the hits, runs, and errors change her attacking approach to the game. They had runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh and Amber buckled down and struck out the next two to give us a chance to win." Emma Gary had an RBI double in the top of the eighth to regain the lead. The Lady Royals finished in the end by relying on their defense and pitching. 

Outstanding Performance:

Emma Gary: she hit .600, Scored 2 Runs, had 3 RBI's, 1 Double, and 1 Home Run to lead the Royals

Dakota College at Bottineau 4/30/17

Game 1: vs. Dakota College at Bottineau 3 – 1 Win

                Hanna Gary (13-0) 11 Strike Outs

This game started out a little like the first one the day before, but with one big difference. The Lady Royals defense stepped up and made the plays that came to them. Everyone played within themselves and Hanna was able to fuel off of their performance. She was dominant yet again on the mound for the Lady Royals. She gave up the same amount of hits but was able to improve on her strike outs on her way to an eleven strike out performance. Offensively, the Lady Royals were slow out of the gate again, but were able to put up runs when we needed. The first three innings they scored all three of their runs and that was all that Hanna needed to finish out the contest.

Outstanding Performance:

Hanna Gary: she hit .500, Scored 1 Run, had 2 RBI's, and 1 Stolen Base. She also got the win with 7.0 Innings Pitched, only allowing 5 Hits, 1 Unearned Run, and collected 11 Strike Outs.

Game 2: vs. Dakota College at Bottineau 10 – 1 Win

                Amber Stewart (8-2) 5 Strike Outs

The final game of the four game set with Dakota College at Bottineau saw the hitting get back on track for the Lady Royals. They were able to run out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings and never looked back. Amber Stewart had another outstanding showing and didn't let her previous performance get to her. She attacked early and often and allowed the Bottineau players to put the ball in play. The defense was excellent behind Amber and committed zero errors for the first time in the four game set. Bottineau squeezed their first run across the plate in the top of the fourth inning, and the home team was able to answer right back scoring 6 in the bottom to put the game out of reach.

Outstanding Performance:

Jade Ledochowski: she hit .667, Scored 2 Runs, had 3 RBI's, and 1 Home Run to lead the Lady Royals

Head Coach Ben Morris said, "Overall I was pleased with how the weekend went. We were able to get the four game sweep against an opponent that always seems to play us tough no matter what year, or sport it is. We escaped from there with two hard fought wins and held true at home the next day. The girls showed that they are able to persevere through any situation if they just have each other's backs. Our hitting came back on the final game and our pitching has been phenomenal just like it has been all season long. Defensively we were in a bend not break type mentality until the final game where we went back to the attacking approach. These games are a great momentum boost for us heading into the Region XIII Tournament this weekend."

Your Lady Royals will take on the winner of Bismarck State College and Williston State College at 3:00 pm on Friday May 5^th at Roosevelt Park on Diamond #1, come out and support!