After five straight losses, it’s fair to say that this week has been a rough one for the softball team. They started with a loss to La Salle, followed by two losses each to Fordham and Southeast Missouri State.
Friday was bad luck for the team, as the squad dropped a close 1-0 decision to La Salle. The game was scoreless until the seventh, when La Salle’s Mary Pat Conville hit a solo homerun to put La Salle up 1-0. The bottom of the seventh saw the Billikens try to come back. The inning started with a Jost walk, followed by a single from Annie Dillinger. Both runners tried to steal, but Jost was caught at third on a reverse call. A strike-out from Jenna Renner ended the game. Saturday’s second game was canceled due to bad weather.
Sunday, the Billikens took on Fordham in a double-header. In game one, Fordham won 6-3, followed by a 15-3 margin in the second game. Game one began with Fordham scoring on an error in the second inning. The Billikens tried to come back in the bottom of the second, but were stopped, despite a double from Jost and a walk from Kinsley Kelley. Fordham continued it’s scoring streak with two more in the third, putting Fordham up 3-0. In the bottom of the third, the Billikens put on their rally caps and tied the score. The inning began with a home run from Allison Appenfeller. Rachel Heet was walked on base and sent home with a home run, compliments of Jost.
The score was now 3-3. After holding off Fordham for two innings, the Billikens ran into trouble, allowing two runs in the top of the sixth. The squad could not recover and lost game one 5-3.
Game two didn’t make the day any better for the Billikens, who lost 15-3. The squad started off strong with a run in the bottom of the first. Jill Pursell started off the inning with a double, followed by an RBI single from Shana Richard. Fordham, however, responded with seven runs in the top of the second, including two home runs. Richard and Jost both knocked in runs in the fifth, but unfortunately the Billikens could not come back from the deficit and lost 15-3.
Tuesday, the Billikens traveled south to Cape Girardeau, Mo., to take on Southeast Missouri State. SEMO squeaked out two wins-6-4 in the first game and 4-3 in the second. Game one started out well with a double from Christ Ernst, but, despite their best efforts, the Billikens could not capitalize on it, and Ernst was chased down mere feet from home plate after a sacrifice bunt from Dillinger. SEMO responded with a two-run inning, stretching the score to 2-0. The fourth inning saw the Bills rally, and after singles from Jost, Ernst and Elaine Fisher, Richard sent a worm-burner up the center that plated Jost, cutting SEMO’s lead in half.
After a fourth inning that saw SEMO knock home three runs, the Bills fought back. Jost started the Billikens off with a single. Ernst followed by taking a base after getting hit by the pitcher, and Dillinger loaded the bases with a single. Richard, Appenfeller and Kelley all knocked in runs to put the Bills within one. SEMO, however, rallied and sealed the deal with two more runs, eventually claiming a 6-4 triumph.
In game two, the Billikens fared the same. The game began with a SEMO run in the first. The Billikens tried to respond in the third, but Rachel O’Connell was foiled before she was able to score. The fourth inning, however, saw SLU come back. Heet led off the inning with a base hit, followed by Ernst and Dillinger getting on base. Appenfeller then hit a rocket to right center to send all three base runner home and put the Billikens up 3-1. Those would be the last runs the Billikens would score. SEMO rallied and posted three more runs to win 4-3.
The Billikens next take on Charlotte, on the road this Saturday.
