The Cougars softball team remains optimistic about the season after a 2-3 start
For the second year in a row, the Azusa Pacific’s softball team began their 2018 season by competing in the Desert Stringer Tournament in Las Vegas, where they played five games over a two-day span. In the tournament, the Cougars had their ups and downs, winning two of the five games they competed in.
“It’s always a bummer to be on the losing end of any game and we had two tough losses [on Saturday],” head coach Carrie Webber said. “I think it just showed our growth in the five games and our ability to make small adjustments and keep ourselves in ball games.”
On Friday, the Cougars went 1-1, defeating Stanislaus State 7-0, and then falling 2-6 to Cal State San Bernardino.
Against Stanislaus State, sophomore pitcher Kat Ung threw five strikeouts in a complete-game shutout against the Warriors. With a 3-0 lead in the fifth, senior third baseman Erinn Jaramillo drilled a grand slam to help the Cougars win, 7-0. In the second contest against CSUSB, Jaramillo hit a solo home run shot and freshman Amanda Woods hit an RBI single, but it ultimately wasn’t enough against the Coyotes.
Jaramillo was pleased with how well the team was able to hit in this tournament.
“I thought we did very well for this being our first outing,” Jaramillo said. “We’re really starting to get into a grove and things are looking positive right now, so I’m really excited to see where we’re going to be if we’re already performing now.”
On Saturday, the Cougars would win their first game against Montana State Billings by a score of 4-1. Following that game, the Cougars would lose 2-7 to 21st-ranked Chico State, and then barely lose their last game in a hitting battle with UC San Diego, 10-11.
Against UC San Diego, a few of the team’s freshmen players impressed. Both Woods and Becca Jewett would hit home runs, contributing to the batting power of the Cougars lineup. Throughout the five-game stretch, both freshmen would also combine for seven RBI.
“In the last game here, both our freshman, Amanda [Woods] and Becca [Jewett] hit their first career home runs, and they did great,” Webber said. “Erinn Jaramillo has two home runs this weekend but she also hit the ball very well, so we’re coming along and we’re doing alright.”
In the tournament, junior infielder Cayla Broussard had eight hits and five runs scored, senior infielder Illiana Jimenez had five hits and five runs each, sophomore catcher Jenna Gorman had six hits and four RBI, and Jaramillo leads the team with two home runs and eight RBI.
Junior pitcher Gaby Grabowski acknowledged the strength of the team’s batting lineup and is encouraged for how the team will do for the rest of the season.
“From a pitcher’s perspective, our team did a great job in just rallying behind us,” Grabowski said. “It gets overwhelming out there, especially in hitting duels like the UCSD game, and having our team behind us and knowing that we do have hitters and that our whole lineup is strong really gives us peace of mind out there. This is an encouraging start to the season.”
As for pitching, the Cougars only have a small group of four on their roster, but they are confident in each other’s abilities. Grabowski believes that their small group will be very helpful.
“Having a small pitching staff of four is kind of helpful to be honest,” Grabowski said. “We work well together, we all really complement each other and we are all very different pitchers. Being an upperclassmen pitcher, it’s fun for me to watch and be a part of. It’s going to be really exciting for what this staff can do.”
Grabowski also mentioned that this won’t be the last time the Cougars play a few of these teams. The Cougars will rematch UC San Diego in a doubleheader next month at APU.
“There is so much room to move forward, and we’re going to see a lot of these teams again, such as UCSD. It will be home this time, and I can confidently say that we won’t let them score that many on us again,” Grabowski said.
The Cougars will travel to Costa Mesa, Calif. to take on Vanguard University in a doubleheader on Tuesday, Feb. 13.