APU softball has a habit of flipping the switch with two outs this season, which keeps the Cougars in games that sometimes seem all but over. Photo credit: Steven Mercado
Batting with two outs and runners on base is a situation where the course of a game can change with one swing of the bat. Despite the stress that comes with two-out opportunities, the Azusa Pacific softball team thrives, driving in more runs in these situations than any other.
Last season, the Azusa Pacific softball team finished with a 23-24 record. This year, with three weeks left in the regular season, the Cougars hold a 27-12 record. Two-out rallies have played a significant part in their offense and account for the majority of their RBIs.
The Cougars’ offensive statistics* improve in two-out situations. Overall, the team’s batting average is .323 and with two outs, it is .335. APU boasts 127 total RBIs so far this season, and with two outs, the team has 64 RBIs. Among the normal starters for APU, four of the batting averages increase in two-out situations. Junior left fielder Sona Babayan’s batting average jumps from .369 to .395, junior catcher Madison Hernandez’s average jumps from .379 to .421 and junior center fielder Renae Chappelle’s average leaps from .272 to .458. Sophomore outfielder Janelle Eccles, who has started in approximately half (15 of 33) of the games this season, has an average that hops from .280 to .308.
For two of the three team leaders in RBIs, at least half of those RBIs come with two outs. Hernandez has knocked in a team-high 25 RBIs and 12 two-out RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Jessica Melcher is third on the team in RBIs with 21, 13 of them coming with two outs. Seven of Babayan’s 13, five of junior shortstop Desiree Chavez’s six and five of Chappelle’s 12 RBIs all come with two outs.
The numbers show that the Cougars flip the switch when under pressure. According to Azusa Pacific head coach Carrie Webber, the returners in the lineup have greatly improved since last season and the whole group is doing whatever it takes to get those runs across.
“The girls are really good at executing what they’re told to do so they can get runners in scoring position and we can have RBIs with two outs. … It speaks to the fight that this team has at the plate. They’re doing a great job,” Webber said. “Girls who didn’t get to see a lot of time last year are really stepping up, and they’re hitting .300 or .400 right now. That’s really impressive and it speaks to how they’ve really [risen] to the occasion to be able to step up into a leadership position and take over where the seniors left off.”
All rallies have a starting point, whether it was a fielding error, a ball that took a bad hop in the offense’s favor or simply strong offense. Freshman third baseman Nicki Sprague has been a catalyst in getting on the bases with her .531 batting average, but is even better at getting rallies started. Her average with the bases empty is a blistering .659 and to lead off an inning, a scorching .706. According to Sprague, players in the Cougars’ lineup feed off each other for their success.
“Offensively, working with two outs, it’s really easy to get caught up in the pressure. But the main thing is hitting is contagious,” Sprague said. “That’s a big thing about our success as a team. Once things get going, it’s really hard to stop us. We are just unstoppable once the hits start stringing along. Mentally, you just have to keep calm and look for a pitch that you can really do something with. With two outs, ground balls aren’t going to do anything, so I think it’s really important in those situations to really look for a pitch you can be successful with.”
Hernandez hits at the fourth spot in the batting order, which is normally where the strongest hitter of the lineup bats. She understands her role as the cleanup hitter and said as the starting catcher who participates in every play, pressure does not phase her.
The big contributor to the “contagious” hitting and game success, according to Webber, would be the relationships the women have on and off the field.
“The girls are really close and they do care about each other, so they want each other to do well. When one does well, the next one tends to do well. They don’t want to let anybody down, and they do feed off of that,” she said. “Because it’s such a small group — there’s only 14 of them — that means that all of them have a hand in what’s going on. There’s not some that never see the field. Everyone has a hand in how this game transpires from one to seven innings.”
Melcher said she knows she can always count on any one of her teammates to “come through when they need to.”
“If I would happen to get out and there were two outs left, I know Narissa [Garcia] is right behind me,” Melcher said. “She’s been doing really well, and you can just count on people to pick you up when you don’t do your job.”
With nine road matchups ahead of APU, starting Friday, April 4 at 8 a.m. against Central Washington, Cougar players will need to continue bringing their versatility and infectious hitting in order to close the season strong.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” Melcher said.
*All statistics besides season records are as of Monday, March 27.