After a difficult road trip, the Scarlet Knights softball team returned home to face Seton Hall on April 12 with the hopes of changing their recent fortunes.
In Tuesday’s game, Ashley Hitchcock replaced Jaden Vickers in the circle and the Scarlet Knights were holding a 2-1 lead after four innings. But the Pirates scored four times in the top of the fifth inning off RBI singles by Jenna Blevins and Olivia Gilbert. A wild pitch by Hitchcock closed the scoring for the Pirates, giving them a 5-2 lead. The Knights added one more in the sixth, but Seton Hall pitcher Shelby Smith shut the door on the Knights as the Pirates took the game, 5-3.
The Scarlet Knights returned to Big Ten play on Friday, April 15, opening a three-game series with Illinois. Hitchcock was again in the circle, but was pulled after just one and a third innings as the Illini opened up a 4-0 lead in the second inning. The Knights cut the lead to 4-1 on an RBI single from Katie Wingert, but when junior Kelly Ryono homered in the third, the Illini extended their lead to 5-1.
The Knights trimmed the lead to 5-3 off an RBI double by Gabrielle Callaway in the bottom of the third inning, but that would be as close as they would get, as the Illini scored four times in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 9-3. Illinois pitcher Tori McQueen went the rest of the way for her eleventh win of the year, while Hitchcock took the loss, dropping her to 9-14 on the season.
Looking to reverse their fortunes, the Scarlet Knights sent Vickers back to the circle on Saturday to face the Illini on April 16. Illinois struck for four runs in the second inning, and behind the shutout pitching of senior Sydney Sickels, Illinois cruised to a 5-0 win as Vickers took the loss. Of the seven Scarlet Knight hits, three were collected by sophomore sensation Kyleigh Sand, who has emerged as the team’s best hitter.
Hoping to salvage the final game of the series, Rutgers returned Hitchcock to the mound to face off against freshman Lauren Wiles. Wiles dominated the Scarlet Knights, with the lone run for Rutgers generated off a Callaway solo homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Illini collected nine runs on 12 hits, as the Scarlet Knights used three pitchers in the 9-1 loss.
After early season success, the Scarlet Knights have seen their record drop to one game over .500, as they now sit at 23-22 on the year. They are currently without a win in the month of April, and are carrying a 10-game losing streak. Their victory over Monmouth on March 25 was their most recent, with their record standing at 2-14 since Big Ten play opened. Most disappointing is that the team has been swept in three straight Big Ten series, having lost to Nebraska, Indiana, and Illinois. Their lone win in the Big Ten this season is a 9-2 victory over Minnesota.
The Scarlet Knights need to find answers, and offense, to turn this skid around. While Sand has been the team’s spark plug, tearing up opposing pitching this year (.426 batting average with 58 hits), she can’t do it alone. Callaway has been exceptional, batting .383 with nine home runs. Sophomore Kayla Bock has been solid (.317 batting average), and freshman Maddie Lawson (.301 batting average with 37 hits) has been critical to the lineup in her first year.
Opponents have feasted on Scarlet Knight pitching in the last 13 games, having outscored Rutgers 97-49 over that stretch. Vickers’ record now stands at 14-7 on the season, with a 3.98 ERA. Hitchcock has seen her record drop to 9-15, but is still holding a respectable 4.24 ERA. Freshman Georgia Ingle has only appeared in 12 games, and has posted a 5.33 ERA in her 21 innings of work.
The Knights will travel to College Park, Maryland to play a doubleheader against the Terps on April 19, as the Big Ten schedule continues. The Terrapins are 22-18 on the year, and currently holding a two-game losing streak.
The Terrapins have four players currently batting over .300, with seniors Mackense Greico (.344) and Taylor Okada (.325) leading the team. Sophomores Michaela Jones (.310) and Megan Mikami (.309) round out the best of the Maryland lineup.
Maryland’s pitchers have put up low ERAs this season with Courtney Wyche (2.56, 9-5 record) and Trinity Schlotterbeck (3.27, 10-10 record) as the team’s two top hurlers.
Things get no easier for the Scarlet Knights after that, as they welcome the 25-16 Penn State Nittany Lions for a three-game series on April 22, 23 and 24 at the Rutgers Softball Complex.
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