In their first two home games of the season on March 30, the College of DuPage softball team got down and dirty with a doubleheader against Morton College. A damp outfield gave COD some defensive trouble, and losing their starting pitcher, sophomore Grace Walker, to injury in the first game didn’t make it any easier. Sophomore pitcher Olivia Terek stepped in and gave up zero hits through the rest of the game. The Chaparrals rallied with five runs in the fifth inning to take the lead and win the first game 11-7.
High on the hard-fought victory, the Chaps kept their offensive momentum going against the Panthers. Scoring nine runs in the first inning after batting around, the game appeared to be over before it began. With COD’s outfield keeping Morton from filling the bases, the Chaps won game two 16-5, ending their day with two wins to improve their record to 4-7.
Walker had to leave the game at the top of the third inning after jamming her finger catching the ball, causing the lineup to change.
“We had to make a lot of adjustments for injuries,” head softball coach Barry Froehle said. “We had a couple of girls out of position, but everybody came together and played as a team.”
Terek started on first base before taking the mound, and she pitched four and one-third innings. She threw three strikeouts, four walks and gave up zero hits. Terek recorded three hits in six at-bats, scored two runs and picked up two RBIs hitting in both games. Even though Terek didn’t plan on pitching, she earned her first win of the season.
“I was really nervous at first,” she said. “I really had to put my mind to it and just do what I can do, because I’m not really a pitcher. I said ‘I’m just going to do it,’ I did it and it went fine. I was very happy with the outcome and with how I did.”
Sophomore outfielder Abby Collins put up two hits and walked three times in four at-bats through both games. Collins also scored three runs, stole two bases and picked up two RBIs. She said Morton’s pitchers couldn’t slow down the Chaps’ offensive momentum, and COD’s pitchers stole the show.
“We came in swinging,” Collins said. “I feel like we saw a lot of different pitching changes, like slower and fast pitchers, and we got a hold of each. I think that was the big difference. Our pitchers worked their asses off, even with [Walker] coming in. People stepped up and threw strikes.”
Freshman utility Cadee Baker recorded four hits in six at-bats through both games. She also scored five runs, stole three bases and collected two RBIs. Baker followed in the footsteps of her sister and past Chaparral utility Carlee Baker but is ready to make a name for herself in COD softball.
“[Froehle] calls me my sister’s name all the time. It gets in my head a little bit, and she definitely gets in my head whenever she comes,” Baker said. “She’ll watch the [game] film and tell me all of this stuff I need to work on. When I actually get on the field, I focus on myself and go play-by-play.”
Freshman pitcher Taylor Gloms pitched through the second game and earned her first win of the season. She threw one strikeout and five walks, but gave up four hits and five runs. While hitting, she recorded four hits and one walk in six at-bats. She also led the team with five stolen bases, scored five runs and picked up three RBIs through both games. After going 2-5 on their spring trip to Cocoa Beach, Fl., Gloms said these games left the team optimistic for the rest of the season.
“We came together as a team,” Gloms said. “I know Florida was a little difficult because those were our first games. I think we became very cohesive today, and it worked out in our favor.”
The Chaparrals take on the Sauk Valley Community College Skyhawks with the first game starting at 12 p.m. on April 6 in Dixon, Ill.
