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BY EMILY BRYANT

In print | Published April 2, 2009

Garnet softball (9-14, 0-4 CC) opened up 2009 Centennial Conference action against Dickinson last weekend. The women were swept in the doubleheader by the Devils in a weekend full of wet weather.

The first contest was pushed back due to inclement weather. The team sprang out to a 3-1 lead over the Devils, with doubles from Melissa Emerson ’11 and Zoe Hendrickson ’11. Catcher Kira Kern ’11 added an RBI single to increase the Garnet lead.

However, Swarthmore could not keep the lead alive, as the Devils tallied three runs over the next three innings. Shortstop Liz Cushing ’12 kept the team’s hopes going by adding an RBI in the seventh, but it was not enough for a comeback.

Dickinson pitcher Liz Barry struck out five batters and had no walks to seal the win. Alexandra Zelaski ’09 fell to 3-6 in pitching for the Garnet.

During the second contest, the Garnet continued to push on. The Devils were up by one for most of the contest, but Hendrickson added an RBI single to keep the Garnet in the running in the bottom of the fourth.

At the top of the seventh inning, Dickinson launched an offensive rally resulting in seven runs for the Devils to secure the win, and pitcher Alex Brody earned her fourth win of the season.

“We knew we were playing a good team,” outfielder Kristin Caspar ’09 noted. “I think that we let them get into our heads. We got really pumped for the Ursinus game, and we are trying to maintain a positive attitude [even after the losses].”

Things were not much easier for the Garnet on Tuesday. The women were swept by defending conference champion Ursinus in doubleheader action.

The Bears went up 1-0 in the third inning after a sacrifice RBI from their catcher. However, the Garnet gained a two run lead after a three-run home run from Krista Scheier ’11 with two outs in the top of the sixth.

In the seventh inning, Ursinus gained two runs from a fielding error and would seal the win with an RBI single.

In the second game, the women were simply shut down. Ursinus’s pitcher had a three-hit win, with 11 strikeouts.

In the fourth inning, Ursinus put two more on the board with an RBI double. A pinch runner would later score on a sacrifice bunt. In the sixth, an RBI single for the Bears drove in another run.

Caspar also described the importance of mental fortitude. “At this in the season, we need to focus more on mental toughness. We definitely have the skill to succeed, we just need to work on being focused and mentally prepared for the rest of the season,” she said.

The Garnet will travel to Gettysburg this Saturday to face the Bullets in a doubleheader at 3 p.m.

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