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Hannah Schwarz | The Lance |
Danielle Luebke, catcher/infielder and freshman leads off during the softball game last week. |
Softball player breaks team stolen base record
By Charlie Williams
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Evangel went 5-2 in last week’s games, while outfielder Sarah Doyle, junior, broke the single season stolen base record.
The record was previously held by Janice Lagaza with 33 stolen bases in the 1997 season before Doyle picked up her 34th and 35th stolen bases during last weekend's tournament.
“Doyle is a terrific leadoff hitter with her blazing speed. She gets on base, then it's almost as good as a run with her stolen base ability,” Coach Jerry Breaux said. “It’s fun to watch her, especially when she's on your team.”
After splitting conference games against Central Methodist University last Tuesday in a showdown of the top two teams in the HAAC, the Crusaders headed to Oklahoma to play in the Rogers State University Border War tournament.
The tournament featured teams from Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Evangel won its first four games in the tournament before losing its final game of the tournament to Bacone College.
“We played very well this weekend and just ran out of gas in the Bacone game. They are a good team, nationally ranked, so it was a loss to a quality team,“ Breaux said.
Evangel faced Rogers State University for the third time this season during the tournament, and it took the Crusaders nine innings to win this meeting. The game went back and forth until the seventh inning when Rogers State tied the game 5-5 to send the game into extra innings.
Evangel then took an 8-5 lead after a three-run home run by outfielder Hannah Somers, junior, in the ninth inning. Somers home run stood as the Crusaders went on to win 8-6 in front of a capacity crowd at Rogers State campus field.
“Pitcher Anna McKinny, junior, was brilliant. She kept the outstanding RSU hitters in check, including their big home run hitter Ashley Coats, who has 18 homeruns on the season,” Breaux said. “McKinny pitched smart and got out of jams, giving way to Tori Sizemore, freshman, who closed out the game in extra innings.”
Infielder Danielle Luebke, freshman, finished the tournament with 14 RBI to go along with a .573 batting average. Sizemore picked up her 13th win on Saturday against Northwest Oklahoma State University as the Crusaders came away with a 6-4 victory.
“Since losing three games opening weekend, Sizemore has been unstoppable and is pitching like an upperclassman,” Breaux said.
The Crusaders are 22-10 on the year and 9-3 in the HAAC. Evangel plays a double-header today at William Jewell College before taking on Baker University at home tomorrow. Tomorrow’s game is senior day for the Crusaders. After the games, the team's three seniors, Kendra Corbin, Megan Cairns and Ashley Harris, will be honored.