Softball goes 2-3 at Delaware tourney

The Quakers entered this weekend's Mizuno/Anderson Bat Bash at the Beach swinging, as their hitting continued to play a big part in the team's overall success.

The softball team went 2-3 on the weekend and finished in fourth place out of 12 teams at the tournament held in Georgetown, Del.

The first day was the most successful for the Quakers, as they won both games -- against Lafayette and Saint Joseph's.

Sophomore Brandi King led the squad against Lafayette with a grand slam as the Quakers powered over the Leopards, 9-4.

Pitching was a vital component in the 4-1 win over Saint Joseph's, with freshman pitcher Ann Ferracane pitching the first complete game of the season.

"When our pitchers give us a good performance we're a much different team," coach Leslie King Moore said. "We have a little bit of a swagger when our pitchers are throwing well."

Sophomore Kaelin Ainley also helped the effort against Saint Joseph's with a solo home run in the seventh inning, one of the many timely hits that put the game out of reach for the Hawks.

After the success of the first day, the Quakers suffered two tough losses to Monmouth, 2-1, and Delaware State, 3-0, on the second day of competition.

Misfortune struck the Quakers on the third day against Monmouth as Ferracane re-injured her elbow in the first inning of play.

"The three remaining pitchers had to pitch a lot of innings this weekend," Moore said. "We had some tired arms out there."

The Quakers were down 5-0 after the first inning and weren't able to recover, falling to Monmouth in the final round of the tournament, 7-1.

A pitching staff riddled with injuries seemed to be the main setback for the Quakers over the weekend. With freshman pitcher Michelle Rehm suffering from injury even before the tournament, and the loss of Ferracane early in the final game, getting the pitching staff back to health is one of the main objectives for the Quakers.

"We just really need to give our pitchers a little bit of rest and hopefully get them healthy again," Moore said.

With the Quakers' pitching depth in limbo, the offense will be counted on to provide extra support. Judging by the hitters' performances up to this point in the season, they should be able to do just that. Freshman Christina Khosravi has led the way with .464 average, while sophomore Casey Hare is batting .417. The team as a whole is hitting at a .278 clip.

Also notable in the Quakers' lineup was freshman Annie Kinsey, who went 6-for-7 in the first two games of the tournament. She has had 51 at bats this season and has not struck out even once.

The Quakers, now 6-10, next play on Thursday in a doubleheader at Lafayette.

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