Softball drops a pair in season opener

Kissimmee, FL- Saturday afternoon the MCLA Trailblazers softball team fell to both Skidmore College 3-0 and the Catholic University of America 6-1 in games one and two of their weeklong 10 game southern series.

MCLA travelled to the sunshine state as they do every spring to participate in the annual Rebel Games. This event took place at the Osceola Softball Complex in Kissimmee, Florida, where dozens of other colleges from around the country are invited to convene and compete against one another.

The Trailblazers first game was played at 1 in the afternoon against Skidmore College, who had travelled from Saratoga, NY. MCLA was considered the “home” team for this contest, taking the field at the top of the inning.

Sophomore pitcher Hadley Ameen threw all seven innings for the Trailblazers, earning them 10 total strikeouts. In her first inning, not a single Thoroughbred was able to get a hit off of her.

That evening MCLA played their second game of the day, this time against Washington D.C.’s Catholic University of America. Though the game was lost, the Trailblazers displayed phenomenal improvement from their first game, as they began connecting with one another and settling into a consistent rhythm.

The majority of the competition was played with a 1-0 Catholic score tacked up on the bored, however during the 6^th inning MCLAs opponent snagged a few good hits in which the Trailblazers were never able to recover in their limited amount of remaining game time.

Freshman pitcher Sarah Greenwood executed her colligate softball debut brilliantly, pitching her first ever 6 innings for the trailblazers and only giving up a single run. Along with demonstrating her strong skills on the mound, Greenwood put on a powerful offensive performance with her two stolen bases.

Another contributor to the Trailblazers second game overall improvement was freshman Erin Kelley, who drove in a tying run for her team in the (inning?). Along with her RBI, Kelley went 1-2 with a walk, while also exhibiting her defensive strengths.

Scoring the Trailblazers only run, sophomore catcher Kayla Koumjian’s offensive success continued as she went 2-3.