Softball's Defensive Mistakes Leads to Two Losses Against Andover
Exeter softball dropped both games of a double header this weekend against Tabor. After Tabor trumped the athletes 9-6 in the first game, Big Red lost the second game in extra innings, 12-11. “They were competitive, classic Exeter/Tabor games,” said senior captain Hannah Myers. The losses dropped the team’s record to seven wins and five losses for the year.
The offense was rolling on Saturday, plastering Tabor’s pitcher for a combined seventeen runs. The offense was led by solid performances by seniors Alex Betrus and Paola Otero. Lower Allegra Grant and senior captain Chloe Dubocq were also able to find their way on base after being hit by pitches a total of five times. Picking up on these mistakes, the two were able to score three out of those five times. This was key for Exeter’s offense to help them force extras in the second game.
Big Red’s defense was not as strong that day, allowing the most runs this season since their opening games against Nobles. “While our defense wasn’t extremely strong this weekend, I can’t think of a string of plays that led to the two losses,” Dubocq said. That being said, errors can still pile up on a team. Digging holes for themselves by allowing unearned base runners does not bode well for future games.
With the Big East Invitational Tournament this Saturday and Sunday, the team will need to hone in on their defense. In this championship tournament, they could face Worcester, Nobles, Brooks, BB&N, Tabor or Andover. Against those six teams, Exeter owns a 2-5 record, their wins coming from the games against Worcester and Brooks. They dropped both doubleheaders against Nobles and Tabor, lost their lone matchup against Andover three to one and have not faced BB&N this season.
The tournament will be a challenge this year. This year the biggest competitors for the title appear to be Nobles and BB&N. Nobles, a favorite, sports an undefeated 10-0 record, has the second best offense in the league at 9 runs per game and the best defense at 3.1 runs allowed per game. BB&N is the owner of the highest powered offense in the tournament, putting up 10.6 runs per game, and also possesses the second best defense at just over 3.1 runs per game. Exeter, at the top of their game, has enough to beat both teams. They average the third best runs per game (8.9) and only allow 6.3 runs per game. “We definitely have the ability to beat these teams. Some are going to be tough, but we’ve been working hard. We just need to stay focused,” lower Courtney Gibeley said.
In the double-elimination bracket last year, the team lost the first two games that they played. “[The losses] simply give us a greater desire to win, hopefully enough for an edge on the competition,” Myers said. If Exeter continues their hot-hitting and Dubocq can keep pitching the way she has, there is no telling how far this team can go.