Lady Badgers softball team impressive,
going 4-of-5 in Texas, record now 8-2
By Doug Johnson
Staff writer
Feb. 15, 2018
MIDLAND, TEXAS—The women’s softball team of Snow College won four of their five games in the Midland Spring Softball Classic played in Midland, Texas, this past weekend to increase their season record to 8-2.
The Badgers downed El Paso, Clarendon, Midland and Coastal Bend, with their only loss coming from Odessa.
On Friday, Feb. 9, Snow run-ruled El Paso 14-4 to open the tournament as the Lady Badgers pounded out 16 hits while freshman hurler Sadie Clark held the Tejanas to only three earned runs on four hits.
Sophomore Kylie Jeffs’ first-inning grand slam got things going as Snow put six runs on the board in the opening frame.
On the same day, the Lady Badgers then beat the previously undefeated Clarendon Bulldogs, 8-7, as the Snow bats smacked another 15 base hits.
The Badgers out-powered Clarendon as five Lady Badgers homered, with Avery Shields, Brooke Brown, Dakota Hare, Emily Adams and Avery Reynolds all going yard.
Sophomore Sydni Sorensen went the distance in the circle to claim the win.
The Lady Badgers finished off Friday by outhitting their opponent, Odessa College, but their 10 runs on 13 hits were just short of Odessa’s 11 runs on 11 hits.
Hare was three for three for Snow with three RBI and a triple to lead Snow at the plate, and Brown completed a hat trick with another round tripper as she homered in each of Friday’s games.
Sorensen was tagged with the loss, entering in relief in the seventh inning as the Wranglers scored two unearned runs for the come-from-behind win.
The next day, Feb. 10, Sorensen was masterful in the circle for Snow in Saturday’s opener in a classic pitching duel. She held a good Midland College team to one unearned run on only four hits while striking out five and not walking any batters.
The Chaparrals’ ace, Crystine Kistner, also pitched an excellent game, holding the powerful Badgers to just three runs on nine hits while striking out 10.
But the long ball did the damage for the Badgers again as doubles by Brown and Hare, and Jeffs’ second homer of the weekend, accounted for three runs.
Later that day, Saturday’s finale was more of the same with great pitching and power at the plate tipping things Snow’s way for a 5-3 win over Coast Bend College.
Home runs by Brown and Hare staked Snow hurler Clark to a 4-0 lead in the first, but three unearned runs by the Cougars brought in Riley Cleverly in relief in the top of the fourth.
Cleverly was on fire as she mowed down all 10 hitters she faced the rest of the way, striking out six of them, to completely slam the door on Coastal Bend.
Brown finished with four home runs on the weekend and leads the nation with eight homers in the Badgers’ first 10 games, while the Badgers lead the nation with 20 homers as a team.
Hare was 11 for 16 in the tournament with two doubles, two homers, a triple and nine RBI, and she was selected as Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week for her performance.
Clark was credited with two wins to run her season record to 5-0.
“I think the ladies really pulled things together this weekend,” said Chad Larsen, Snow’s head coach. “Midland College put on a really good tournament, and I was so grateful to see our team respond with great play.”
The Badgers begin league play the first weekend in March with a four-game series at the College of Southern Nevada.
