Softball Season Comes to a Close
Cody Swartz
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Sports
Last time we checked up on the Messiah Falcons' women's softball team, they were 16-2 and coming off a doubleheader sweep of Mary Washington University. Since then, the Falcons have continued their dominance, winning 12 of 14 games, including the last eight straight to put their record at 28-4. The Falcons look to make the most of their six remaining games in the 2009 season.
What makes this Falcons team particularly intimidating is their ability to win both at home and on the road. The Falcons fashion an impressive 10-2 mark at home, 8-2 at neutral sites, and an incredible 10-0 on the road. This team is fresh off of back-to-back rainouts, one of which was canceled and the other postponed. The team's last time playing was Thursday, April 16, in a doubleheader sweep of Lebanon Valley College, both games by the narrow score of 2-1.
Following the Elizabethtown doubleheader to close out the season on Saturday, April 25 - plus any games that may require makeup dates - the Falcons are all set for this year's playoffs, which will begin at Starry Field in Grantham on May 1 and carry through the next several weeks. Should the team qualify for the NCAA Division III Regionals, those games will be played on Thursday, May 7. The team's ultimate goal is to qualify for the final round of the postseason, otherwise known as the Division III College World Series. This event will be held starting on Wednesday, May 13, and continue for as many games as needed.
This Messiah team is led by many younger classmen. The team's top hitter is freshman Jackie Merkel, a shortstop and outfielder that leads the team in batting average (.470), hits (47), home runs (5), runs batted in (35), and slugging percentage (.750). Senior Amy Bowie is a .432 hitter and second on the team in home runs (4).
The top pitcher for Messiah is freshman Jessica Rhoads, who sports an amazing 17-1 record with 221 strikeouts and just an 0.43 ERA in 114 innings pitched this season. Rhoads has taken the mound 16 times this season as the team's starting pitcher and has hurled a complete game shutout in eight of those starts. Junior Megan Rice is the team's second starter, with a 10-1 record for herself, plus 54 strikeouts and a 1.39 ERA in 70.1 innings pitched for the season. The team's primary relief pitcher is sophomore Corinn Eby, who has a 2.73 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched. Together, these pitchers have combined to give the Falcons a 1.02 team ERA, a figure that is five times better than that of its opponents.
There seems to be no stopping these girls. They have won nearly 90 percent of their games this season. They have hitting, they have pitching, and they are motivated to advance as far as possible once the playoffs begin.
What makes this Falcons team particularly intimidating is their ability to win both at home and on the road. The Falcons fashion an impressive 10-2 mark at home, 8-2 at neutral sites, and an incredible 10-0 on the road. This team is fresh off of back-to-back rainouts, one of which was canceled and the other postponed. The team's last time playing was Thursday, April 16, in a doubleheader sweep of Lebanon Valley College, both games by the narrow score of 2-1.
Following the Elizabethtown doubleheader to close out the season on Saturday, April 25 - plus any games that may require makeup dates - the Falcons are all set for this year's playoffs, which will begin at Starry Field in Grantham on May 1 and carry through the next several weeks. Should the team qualify for the NCAA Division III Regionals, those games will be played on Thursday, May 7. The team's ultimate goal is to qualify for the final round of the postseason, otherwise known as the Division III College World Series. This event will be held starting on Wednesday, May 13, and continue for as many games as needed.
This Messiah team is led by many younger classmen. The team's top hitter is freshman Jackie Merkel, a shortstop and outfielder that leads the team in batting average (.470), hits (47), home runs (5), runs batted in (35), and slugging percentage (.750). Senior Amy Bowie is a .432 hitter and second on the team in home runs (4).
The top pitcher for Messiah is freshman Jessica Rhoads, who sports an amazing 17-1 record with 221 strikeouts and just an 0.43 ERA in 114 innings pitched this season. Rhoads has taken the mound 16 times this season as the team's starting pitcher and has hurled a complete game shutout in eight of those starts. Junior Megan Rice is the team's second starter, with a 10-1 record for herself, plus 54 strikeouts and a 1.39 ERA in 70.1 innings pitched for the season. The team's primary relief pitcher is sophomore Corinn Eby, who has a 2.73 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched. Together, these pitchers have combined to give the Falcons a 1.02 team ERA, a figure that is five times better than that of its opponents.
There seems to be no stopping these girls. They have won nearly 90 percent of their games this season. They have hitting, they have pitching, and they are motivated to advance as far as possible once the playoffs begin.
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