Savannah, GA — Prior to the start of the 2007 season, second-year head coach Linda Bontrager said she was confident that her young team could improve on a 2006 campaign that yielded just two wins on the year.
Just two days into the ’07 season, Bontrager was a prophet.
Goshen traveled to Savannah, Georgia to compete in the annual Savannah College of Art and Design Smash Hit Spring Break Tournament, posting a 3-4 record overall while getting its first taste of live, outdoor ball in the calendar year. It took just two days for the Leafs to better their mark from 2006, as Goshen split with Savannah State University to open tournament play on Monday (a 2-9 loss followed by a 7-3 win) and then swept Edward Waters College in 13-5 and 13-3 decisions on Tuesday.
Goshen followed with a pair of losses to Southern Wesleyan University Wednesday afternoon, falling by 2-6 and 0-16 scores. The squad’s final contest against the host Bees resulted in a 0-8 loss on Friday.
“Overall, the trip was a very good trip,” Bontrager said upon the team’s return to Goshen on Sunday. “We learned our weaknesses. We understand the focus we need to have to play successfully. The price is effort. The girls saw good softball being played. We were challenged by the talent. The trip brought us closer as a team and humbled us to work harder. This game takes effort.”
After stopping in Chattanooga, Tennessee to watch the Goshen College baseball team beat Covenant College on Saturday, it appeared the Leafs’ trip to the Smash Hit Tournament would be delayed. The team suffered a flat tire to its bus while in the parking lot, forcing an unscheduled, overnight stop in Atlanta Friday night.
With a slightly altered schedule, Goshen responded to play arguably its best softball in the opening days of the tournament. Following its 2-9 loss to Savannah State in its first contest, the Leafs responded with a 7-3 win, the first of what would be three straight victories.
“Savanah State had more depth than we did, but we were able to compete,” Bontrager said. “Our bats just didn’t want to wake up in the first game, but we were able to settle down in the second.”
Junior Tera Brackman (0-1) suffered the Game 1 loss in the pitching circle, going the distance while striking out four. Goshen’s two runs came in the team’s final at-bat, as freshman Heather FitzSimmons’ single started the scoring. Sophomore Amy Clem scored on a Savannah State error, while sophomore Haly Williamson ripped an RBI single to drive in FitzSimmons.
Goshen took an early 2-0 lead in the day’s second contest against the Tigers, but was most greatly benefited from a three-run, sixth inning to generate a 5-3 lead. A two-out triple from Clem drove in two of those three scores, while Goshen tacked on an additional two runs in the top of the seventh. Freshman Diana Stanley (1-0) recorded the pitching win in her first collegiate appearance (going seven full innings and striking out seven), while Clem led the offense going 2-4 with three RBI. Brackman posted a 2-3 effort at the plate with two runs scored, while Williamson was 2-4 on the day. Senior Faith Borrell finished 1-4 with a run scored and two RBI.
The tournament’s second day found Goshen cruising past Edward Waters College in a double-header, as the Leafs scored early and often against the Tigers from Jacksonville, Florida. Williamson (1-0) picked up the pitching win in Game 1 and Stanley (2-0) the win in the second game, as Goshen exploded for a total 26 runs off of 15 hits on the day. The offensive highlight came from Clem in the first game, as the shortstop hit her first career home run — collegiate and high school — in the bottom of the sixth inning.
It was a grand slam.
Clem finished with six RBI in the day’s first contest, going 2-3 with three runs scored. FitzSimmons was 2-2 with a run scored, while Stanley posted a 2-4 mark and junior Carrie Brinks a 2-2 effort with two runs scored. Williamson went 1-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
Williamson and Stanley did most of the offensive damage in Tuesday’s second game against Edward Waters, driving in two and three runs, respectively. That accounted for all of the Leafs’ earned runs in the contest.
“Our games against Edward Waters out of Florida were good for us,” Bontrager said. “Amy Clem’s grand slam home run was sweet. She was pumped. We played well against Edward Waters and hit well as a team. Errors seem to creep up on us, but we're not letting them bring us down. We work as a team and work to get the job done.”
Sadly, Goshen could not get the job done against Southern Wesleyan University on Wednesday, as the team produced just five hits in its 2-6 and 0-16 losses. Brackman (0-2) suffered the Game 1 pitching loss, while Stanley (2-1) dropped her first collegiate loss in the circle in the second game. Incredibly, Clem blasted her second career home run in her first at-bat of the day, making her first two career home runs the back-to-back variety. Williamson and Stanley each added a double, while freshman Jessica Carney singled in the day’s first contest.
“Southern Wesleyan was a better team on Wednesday,” Bontrager said. “We stayed with them even though we couldn’t seem to hit. We struggled with the rise all week. They dominated us in the second game, and it was just like we had given up. It was a tough loss after only losing by a 2-6 score in the first game, but softball is played in your head. We will work on being stronger mentally.”
A full day’s rain washed out Thursday’s activities, but that was an exception to the rule for the squad’s stay: Every other day featured sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70’s.
“Every day except Thursday was just magnificent,” Bontrager said. “The only down side of the trip was the presence of the sand gnats. They ate us alive. And insect repellant didn’t seem to work.”
After spending much of Thursday perusing various shopping malls, the Leafs’ contest against the host institution was rescheduled for Friday. And while Goshen put up a strong fight against the 11th-ranked team in the nation, the Bees’ pitching was just too strong. Goshen recorded just a pair of hits in its 0-8 defeat.
“We held our own against Savannah College of Art and Design, but we really struggled offensively,” Bontrager said.
Clem and Carney were the only two Goshen players to reach base via a single, while Williamson (1-1) was saddled with the pitching loss, striking out one Art and Design batter. Goshen faced the Bees’ just moments after suffering an exhibition game loss to St. John’s River Community College by a 2-10 score, a game in which Williamson pitched five full innings.
Bontrager said she was pleased with the team’s play during the course of the week, and noted that the squad will return to the practice facility with several goals for improvement before the team’s next contest — a match-up at Tri-State University on Saturday, March 17th.
“We had 27 singles, eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 36 walks in our seven games at the tournament,” Bontrager said. “We can hit the ball. We'll work on knowing our zone and being patient for our pitch. We had 60 runs hit against us, but 32 were earned. We have work to do. We win as a team and we lose as a team. I have confidence in this team. We do have a few chronic injuries that will haunt us this year, but we are determined to work through the season and find success.”
Game statistics from the SCAD Smash Hit Spring Break tournament are available on the Goshen College softball schedule page, which can be viewed by clicking here. For a complete look at the 45-team, 150-game tournament’s results and statistics, click here.
Goshen will take a two-week hiatus before returning to competitive action against Tri-State on St. Patrick’s Day. Game time for the first of two contests is set for 1 p.m.
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Sophomore Amy Clem