As legendary Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks once said, “Boy, it’s a beautiful day—let’s play two!” The Scarlet Knights opened their softball season yesterday by playing the opening two games of their schedule at the 2022 Puerto Vallarta Challenge. Held at Nancy Almarez Field, the Knights first faced off against the No. 8 team in the nation, Arkansas, in the early game before going up against Memphis in the afternoon contest.
After surrendering one run on a double to center field, last season’s picture of endurance, Ashley Hitchcock, settled down to pitch a scoreless second. But the Razorbacks’ bats came alive in the third inning and touched up Hitchcock for three runs in the third inning, which extended the Razorbacks’ lead to 4-0.
Arkansas’ Mary Haff was the winning pitcher of record, as she went four innings surrendering only two hits, one of which came off the bat of Kyleigh Sand. Head coach Kristen Butler wasted no time getting the newest Scarlet Knights into the game, as the Louisiana Lafayette transfer was not only the starting shortstop, she also batted leadoff.
The game also marked the debut of first-year Scarlet Knight Maddie Lawson as a starter, as she batted clean-up and opened the game at first base.
In the second game, the Knights took on the Memphis Tigers, and looked to make some line-up changes behind pitcher Jaden Vickers. Added to the mix was sophomore Kobie Hura in the ninth spot, where she took the place of Leilani Chavez as the starting right fielder. This allowed Chavez to move to the DH position, and the change provided the desired effect that Butler had been looking for as the offense tallied three runs in the fifth inning, staking the Knights to a 3-0 lead.
But Vickers ran into trouble in the bottom of the inning, and was lifted in favor of Ashley Hitchcock. The Tigers rallied for six runs behind the timely hitting of Kendall Lee, Gracie Morton, and Camryn Wineinger. Despite collecting nine hits and three walks, Rutgers stranded nine baserunners during the course of the game, short-circuiting what could turn out to be a much-improved offense this season.
Hitchcock took the loss in the game, while Memphis freshman Jenna Gibson took the win, as Memphis triumphed, 6-3.
Coach Butler and the Knights will look to make additional revisions and no doubt experiment with both the batting order and the line-up as they seek to maximize the potential of a number of returning players who will be looking to expand their roles from last season. They will get another chance today, as they take on the Lamar University Cardinals at 7:00 P.M.
Last season the Knights had difficulty scoring while allowing opponents to score frequently. But yesterday showed promise, as they were able to hold the SEC Champion Razorbacks to just four runs, while also watching the offense spark against Memphis. Much like with elections, the end result cannot yet be known, but the early returns do show promise.
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