The Scots 2009 Softball team concluded their spring break trip to Florida on Sunday with a pair of victories. In the first game, Alma avenged a Tuesday loss, when they defeated Capital University (OH) by a score of 6-3 and then in the trip finale, the Scots bested Elizabethtown College (PA) by a margin of 7-3. Alma headed home on Monday with a record of 6-5 after winning three of the last four games in the Sunshine State.
In the opener versus Capital, the Scots rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, after a thirty-minute rain delay, to break a 3-3 tie for a 6-3 win. Brittany Grys (Portland, MI/Portland) picked up her third win of the season, going the distance and striking out six. Kelly Koenigsknecht (Fowler, MI/Fowler) started the offense right off the bat in the first inning with a single to the shortstop. Brittany Fales (Midland, MI/Midland Dow West) followed with a single to right field allowing Koenigsknecht to scamper over to thirdbase. Sarah Johnson (Portland, MI/Portland) drilled a single up the middle to put the Scots on the board. Alma added another run in the third on a single to leftfield by Kelsey Rightenburg (Lexington, MI/Crosswell-Lexington), who was sacrificed to second by Fales. Houston Verbeck (Burton, MI/Flint Kearsley) blooped a single into shallow left field, allowing Rightenburg to score. Capital scored two runs in their half of the fifth to take the lead. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Scots took advantage of two Capital errors to score Rightenburg, tying the game just before the rain delay. In the bottom of the sixth, Alma scored three runs after there were two outs and nobody on base. Koenigsknecht started the rally with a bunt single and Rightenburg laced a single to leftfield. A misplayed ball on Fales' grounder to the second baseman, allowing Koenigsknecht to score and put Righternburg and Fales at second and third. Verbeck took advantage of the miscue and drilled a double down the left field line to put the Scots ahead for good.
In the night cap versus Elizabethtown College Alma picked up where they left off by scoring in the first inning. Koenigsknecht slapped a single up the middle and proceeded to steal second and third base. Fales squeezed her home to take the early lead. Elizabethtown kicked up their heels against starter Tara Leddy (Saginaw) for two runs in the third. Alma responded by tying the score in the fourth with a rbi double by Verbeck after a base on balls to Johnson.
The Scots added three insurance runs in the fifth with singles by Cassie Schwab (Midland), and Rightenburg, followed by a two rbi triple to right field by Fales. A passed ball allowed Fales to score. Elizabeth scored a run in the sixth but Alma responded with two more runs of their own. Koenigsknecht hit a single to right and stole second base. Fales hit a single to left field to score Koenigsknecht. Camille Dittmar (Milford) pinched ran for Fales and was plated on a triple to right field by Johnson. Leddy moves to 2-2 on the season with the win and threw six strikeouts.
Alma returned home with a record of 6-5 and will have their regular season home opener on Thursday, March 19, versus Heidelberg College.
On Wednesday, Alma dropped a twin-bill to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fl. By score of 10-1 and 5-0. So. Tara Leddy (Saginaw, MI/Swan Valley) took her second loss of the season. The Scots scored their only run by drawing back to back walks to Fales and Verbeck, with Johnson knocking in Fales with a single to leftfield. In the night cap, Grys went the distance, giving up five runs on eight hits. Eckerd limited the Scots to four hits in the game.
On Tuesday, the first day of their spring trip, Alma went 2-1, dropping the opener to Capital University 3-1, and sweeping Hanover College 9-0 and 4-2. Against Capital, Leddy went the distance, giving up three runs on seven hits. Alma began the scoring in the first inning with a lead off single by Koenigsknecht, who stole second base one pitch later. Fales sacrificed Koenigsknecht to third and later scored on a wild pitch. The Scots had scoring opportunities in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings but were unable to get the runs across the plate. Capital scored two runs in the fourth and an insurance run in the fifth.
Alma turned up the heat in the opener against Hanover College as they pounded out 12 hits in the five inning game. Verbeck knocked in Koenigsknecht with a single to leftfield in the first inning. The Scots scored two more in the third on a single by Fales, an RBI triple by Verbeck and fielder's choice by Schwab. Six more insurance runs were added in the fourth inning, highlighted by doubles by Sr. Sarah Seals (Alma, MI/Alma), Fales and a two-run RBI by Johnson. Grys picked up her first win as a Scot, giving up one hit and striking out six batters.
In the night cap, Fr. Erin Pintek (Flushing, MI/Flushing) notched the first win of her career, giving up three hits and striking out four. Koenigsknecht led off the third with a walk, stole second base, and crossed the plate when Jr. Kasey Miller (Grand Ledge, MI/Grand Ledge) laced a double down to right field to put the Scots ahead. Hanover put their three hits together, along with a walk, in the fifth inning to go ahead 2-1. Alma responded by scoring three runs in their half of the fifth with a walk to Sr. Trista Geier (Livonia, MI/Walled Lake Western), and three Hanover errors.
