By Maria Borri
IV Leader Sports Editor
The Lady Eagle softball team have started their spring season with a 2 – 0 record, with three of their games canceled due to rain.
At press time, the Eagles were playing Joliet and Highland Community Colleges.
The Eagles are a well-rounded team this year with strong pitching, above average speed, smart players, and good hitters.
Head coach Cory Tomasson is looking forward to this season.
“I truly hope to go undefeated this season,” the coach said. “I think that this is legitimate for this team. Also, we should make a run for both the conference and regional titles.”
When the Eagles faced off Carl Sandburg on April 11, IVCC did not allow their opponent to score in either games of the double header. The IVCC women won 9-0 and 14-0.
The Eagles opened their season by beating Kishwaukee in a double header on April 4. The Eagles won 4-0 in the first game and 3-0 in the second.
In the first game Gabe Wood threw a three-hitter and gave up no runs for the Eagles. Sophomore Shayh Moore scored two runs in the first game.
Commenting on the overall performance of the team, Moore stated, “We played a good game. The strong pitching and good defense prevented the other team from scoring. We were on top of our game that day.”
Ashleigh Davis led her team in the second game throwing a one-hitter and gave up no runs. Brenda Stewart came off the bench and had two doubles and three RBIs.
After a successful opening, Tomasson stated, “We are playing very well as a team right now. Everyone is contributing in their own way. Our pitching looks very strong and our defense has been there to back our pitchers up.
“Our hitting has been decent for the few number of games that we have played, but I expect to pick it up as we play more competition.”
The rain and canceled games have gotten the team down a bit, the coach said. Weather has always been a problem especially since there is a month to get in approximately 40 games, he said.
“The most frustrating thing is not playing,” Tomasson said. “We can only do so much practicing before it becomes a little boring and we lose some drive. I would much rather be competing on the field and so would the players.”
However, the Eagles enjoyed themselves in the warm weather at Walt Disney World in Florida. IVCC participated in the Wide World of Sports in Florida from March 14-19.
The Eagles were 6-0 outscoring their competitors 47-6. Competitors included Glen Oaks from Michigan, Henry Ford from Michigan, and Brerard from Florida.
Wood pitched one and half games, but she was injured and Kara Cioni stepped up to pitch six innings of the second game. Davis pitched the other four games and had a batting averaverage over .500.
“Every player contributed to the six wins and if we continue as we did there, we should have a successful season,” stated Tomasson.
Marie Gubbels said, “It was nice to get out and actually play other teams. It was fun to play in the warm weather.”
Another player felt that the opponents played weakly.
“There was not a lot of competition from the other teams,” said Brenda Stuart. “Their fielding was weak. Only one of our games was close.”