Caitlin Dorsch ~ Copy Desk Chief
On Saturday, March 2, the University of Lynchburg softball team defeated Geneva College in a non-conference two-game sweep by a score of 5 to 0 in the seven-inning first game and by a score of 13 to 0 in the second game in only five innings.
This marks the eleventh straight regular-season sweet by the Lynchburg team. In their home-opener for the 2019 season, they started off hot with strong pitching by senior Taylor Belknap where she struck out seven players, allowing just two hits according to the Lynchburg Sports Website.
Senior third basemen, Taylor Mabry also crushed two home runs and had a double while she was at-bat throughout the day. Furthermore, sophomore outfielder, Kortney Leazer hit her first-career home run in the first game.
In reaction to the sweep on Saturday, Belknap remarked, “It’s been a tough couple of weeks for us with the weather not cooperating, but thankfully we were able to play this weekend and we were all very excited to get out on our home field with our fans to support us. We all work day-in and day-out on the little things and those little things are what we did well on Saturday.”
Leazer added that “chemistry played a huge role in our recent wins. We’re playing at our level and, if we’re playing a team that might not be as good, it can be hard to stay upbeat and play OUR game. I think that was an issue with us last year, but, this year, we’re maintaining our abilities a lot more and trusting one another to have our backs.”
Along with this focus on trust, comes the necessity for communication on this team. According to Belknap, there has been much improvement regarding communication since the start of the regular season. Belknap said, “Our improvement in communication definitely helped us when communicating about the tendencies of the opposing pitcher, calling a ball, even letting someone know how they could have a better at-bat the next time around. We were focused on playing our own game, and we made great plays on defense. Because of these factors, we were able to come out with two wins.”
The UofL Lady Hornets team looks to add onto their hot streak at the Salisbury Invitational in Salisbury, Maryland on Saturday (March 9) against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., on Sunday (March 10) against Cortland at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., and on Monday (March 11) at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.