ORIGINALLY WRITTEN TOM STOPPEL
The Tabor College softball came home with a 1-4 record for their participation in the Sterling College Classic this weekend.
Despite the record, coach Tina King was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We played really good,” she said. “The consistency is coming.”
Tabor lost its opener to Kansas Newman, 8-3, as pitcher Johannah Love surrendered 13 hits.
Tabor scored two runs in the fourth when Jacqueline Schnell doubled and came home when Tamra McCarren launched a home run.
Tabor’s other run came in the seventh when Erin Loewen reached on an error and scored on a single by Love.
“We played at a really good level against Kansas Newman,” King said.
Tabor lost its second game of the weekend by the same score, this time to Kansas Wesleyan.
“I think we really played down to the competition and dropped our level of play,” King said.
Holly Lindsay took the loss for Tabor, surrendering eight runs on eight hits. The Bluejays committed five errors.
Tabor scored in the second when Love singled, stole second and scored on a single by Stephanie Stuber.
Tabor added two runs in the fifth when Julie Wall reached on an error and Loewen and Porsche Davis followed with singles.
Davis later scored on a Coyote fielding error.
In the last game on Friday, Tabor defeated York (Neb.) Collete, 7-6 in 10 innings.
April Funk struck the decisive blow in the 10th, a two-run single in the International Tie Breaker format.
“It seems like when these girls get to the ITB, they’re determined to win,” King said. “We were up until 11 o’clock Friday night and the temperature was 28 degrees when we finished.
“I was really proud of the girls the way we battled not only York, but the weather this early in the season.”
On Saturday, Tabor lost to Friends,7-5.
“We had our sticks working in this game,” King said. “Things were really coming together.”
Lindsay took the loss, allowing 12 hits and seven earned runs in seven innings.
Tabor got a run in the first when Loewen doubled and then scored in a single by Love.
The Bluejays added two runs in the fourth when Schnell, Davis and McCarren singled in succession.
Tabor added two more runs in the sixth as Davis reached on a fielder’s choice, Funk singled and both scored on a fielding error.
“Holly and Jo did a great job pitching this weekend,” King said. “Both of them competed really well considering how long the weekend was.”
In the weekend finale, Tabor lost to the host team, 3-0.
Love allowed just six hits but two left the park.
“If they’re ranked first in the conference and they had their senior pitcher on the mound, then I think we’re in pretty good shape,” King said. “The only thing that killed us was they got two home runs, and there’s not much the defense can do about that.”
Coming-Tabor (4-9) returns to action Saturday when it hosts Southwestern at the Sports Complex beginning at 1 p.m.
