Jarrett Matthews
Student Journalist
The Mountaineers women's softball team took the field Saturday in St. Catharines against the Brock Badgers for a pair of exhibition games, their first of the season. The Mountaineers dropped the first game 4-0 to a well-balanced Badgers team and put two runs on the board in the second game but ultimately fell 7-2.
The entire roster is composed of players who were putting on a Mohawk jersey for the first time, along with two new head coaches, Erin Forman and Logan White.
In the first half of the double header the Mountaineers had a strong performance on the mound and on defense but weren't able to get the bats going. Mohawk was able to get runners on base but failed to see any of them cross the plate.
The Badgers opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a fielder's choice and they followed it up in the third inning with three more runs, highlighted by a two-run single.
The Mountaineers called to the bullpen to open the fourth inning and proceeded to sit down all three batters in the inning. The inning was closed out by a strong throw behind the dish from Michaela Walker to catch a runner stealing.
A strong pitching performance from the Badgers saw them punchout nine Mountaineers en route to a 4-0 victory. Coach Forman says she'd like to see a better two-strike approach from her team.
"After that game we'd like to be more aggressive at the plate on third strikes," said Coach Erin Forman "I think we're being too tentative."
Brock was rolling early on in the second matchup, pushing a pair of runs across the plate in the first inning. Mohawk responded in the bottom half with a single to drive in a runner from second.
The second inning was a busy one for Brock, adding to their lead in a big way. After watching the Badgers extend their lead, Ally Lawson came out of the bullpen and struck out the first batter she faced to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Mohawk was able to cut into the deficit with another RBI single.
The scrappy Badgers team took the second game 7-2 in five innings. Despite the two losses, it was a solid performance by Mohawk who looked very well coached on defense. A strong Brock team was a good test for the Mountaineers ahead of OCAA play and coach Forman says communication will be something they'll work on ahead of next weekend's opener.
"To see a little bit more communication on the field would be ideal," says Forman. "We had lots of really vocal girls on the bench which is good."
When asked what their goal was for these exhibition games, Coach Forman says it was important to see this group compete together.
"To get loose and to get to know one another, get the cobwebs out. Some of the girls were really nervous and we worked well together as a team. We see some things that we need to work on," added Forman.
Mohawk will open the OCAA season next weekend in London with a pair of games on Saturday, one against Fanshawe and one against St. Clair. They will also be in action on Sunday with one game against Conestoga.
