Softball Splits Series with Wayne State
Dan Gilland
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Sports
Before a doubleheader against Wayne State on April 22, the Southwest Minnesota State softball team held 1 1/2-game lead over the Wildcats for first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. So after splitting the series and leaving with the standings unaffected, the Mustangs could choose to put the pair of games behind them.
SMSU head coach Shawn Semler quickly shot down that approach.
After winning 2-0 in the opening game, the Mustangs let a late three-run lead slip away and handed the Wildcats a 5-4 victory.
"A lot of the losses you like to forget," Semler said. "I hope they don't forget this one, because this better be what motivates them the rest of the season."
SMSU carried a 4-1 lead into the fifth inning of the final game. But Alina Honken, who had allowed just one hit through four innings, then served up two doubles and a single to start the inning.
Only one run scored in that stretch but Semler, seeing a trend, brought in senior Amanda Johnson for relief with no one out.
"She throws the ball over the middle and can't get out of it," Semler said. "She does it batter after batter and that's why we had to go get her, because it's a pattern."
But Johnson struggled as well, giving up a two-run single to Blaire Kuhl with one out. Samantha Earleywine then singled to right field and Kuhl scored the tying run from second after a fielding error by Burkhart.
Honken got through four innings needing the benefit of just two strikeouts, but when she came back out in the top of the fifth, her mindset changed.
"I think I might've been trying too hard to strike them out," Honken said. "I should've just thrown it in to have them hit the ball on the ground and let our defense help me out a little bit more."
While Wayne State (32-15, 15-4 NSIC) hit just two balls beyond the infield in the first four innings, SMSU second baseman Jessica Paczosa wasn't surprised to see the Wildcats put a rally together in the fifth.
SMSU head coach Shawn Semler quickly shot down that approach.
After winning 2-0 in the opening game, the Mustangs let a late three-run lead slip away and handed the Wildcats a 5-4 victory.
"A lot of the losses you like to forget," Semler said. "I hope they don't forget this one, because this better be what motivates them the rest of the season."
SMSU carried a 4-1 lead into the fifth inning of the final game. But Alina Honken, who had allowed just one hit through four innings, then served up two doubles and a single to start the inning.
Only one run scored in that stretch but Semler, seeing a trend, brought in senior Amanda Johnson for relief with no one out.
"She throws the ball over the middle and can't get out of it," Semler said. "She does it batter after batter and that's why we had to go get her, because it's a pattern."
But Johnson struggled as well, giving up a two-run single to Blaire Kuhl with one out. Samantha Earleywine then singled to right field and Kuhl scored the tying run from second after a fielding error by Burkhart.
Honken got through four innings needing the benefit of just two strikeouts, but when she came back out in the top of the fifth, her mindset changed.
"I think I might've been trying too hard to strike them out," Honken said. "I should've just thrown it in to have them hit the ball on the ground and let our defense help me out a little bit more."
While Wayne State (32-15, 15-4 NSIC) hit just two balls beyond the infield in the first four innings, SMSU second baseman Jessica Paczosa wasn't surprised to see the Wildcats put a rally together in the fifth.
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