Lancers Struggle At Beginning, End
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
WINONA LAKE - Just erase the first two innings of game one and the last inning of game two and the Grace College softball team did an admirable job against Mid Central Conference foe Indiana Wesleyan in a doubleheader Thursday. But those three innings stung as the Wildcats outscored the Lancers 15-1 to sweep Grace 12-1 and 7-2.
Freshman Rachel Liebsch, a Warsaw Communtiy High School graduate, pitched 10-2/3 innings and allowed just three earned runs for Grace.
However, Indiana Wesleyan scored seven unearned runs when Liebsch was on the hill, including all four that came home in the seventh inning of the second game.
The Lancers struggled offensively with just four hits in the first game, which went just five innings because of the 10-run rule. In the second game, Grace put together eight hits but got just one with runners in scoring position.
"My power hitters' bats were so far ahead of the pitch," Grace head coach Stephen Liebsch said. "One girl turned to me and said, 'Am I ahead of the pitch, coach?' When the bat hits your back and then the catcher catches the ball, I would say you're a little ahead of the pitch. We're just not timing it well."
In game one, Jori Janigian started on the mound, but got through just 1-1/3 innings. Indiana Wesleyan put together five runs on six hits in the opening inning. Leslie Gottschalk led off with a double. After a sac bunt and a hit batter, WCHS grad Daisy Ousley drove home a run with a single.
Andy Lehr followed with another single to plate two more runs. The next batter, Jennifer Teague, added another base hit to drive in run No. 4 on the inning. After a pop-out, Joanie Crum singled to finish the first inning scoring with the fifth run.
Even though the Lancers trailed 5-0 before coming to the plate, Grace showed some composure in the bottom half of the first as Sheila Horst and Eve Arthur opened the inning with singles. Horst came around to score on a throwing error by Indiana Wesleyan's catcher.
But in the top of the second, the Wildcats got the run back plus some. Mindy Rupp singled to start the inning and scored on a double from Ousley. Lehr singled and Teague doubled to drive home two more runs.
At that point, Stephen Liebsch put Rachel Liebsch into the game to pitch. After a single and an error, Liebsch struck out Crum. Gottschalk doubled to drive home two runs before Liebsch got the third out. When the damage was done, Indiana Wesleyan led 11-1.
"I pulled them all out and said, 'Ladies, let's just go out there. I don't care what the score is. Let's just go out there and have fun'," Stephen Liebsch said. "They've been playing so uptight because they want to do so well."
Liebsch settled down and retired eight batters in a row in the second through fifth innings and the Wildcats only run came on a single and two errors in the fifth. But Grace could not get much offense going with just two hits after the first inning to bow in the first game.
In game two, Liebsch struck out a pair of batters in the first to strand one base runner and the Lancers had a chance to score first.
Horst singled to open the inning and Liz Thomas followed with a single after Arthur lined out. But Lauralea Thomas grounded out and Tami Romagnoli struck out to end the threat.
Both teams were scoreless until the fourth inning when Lehr and Teague had back-to-back doubles to give Indiana Wesleyan a 1-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Wildcats opened up with four straight base hits, the last driving home two runs off the bat of Ousley to make the score 3-0.
But Grace rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning. Romagnoli walked and scored on a Christa Langerud triple. Liebsch helped out her cause on the mound with a single to score Langerud and close the gap to 3-2.
In the seventh, it looked as if Wesleyan would go down quickly. Gottschalk flew out to Romagnoli and Rupp grounded out to open the inning. When Liebsch got Doehring to hit a soft fly ball to Romagnoli, it looked as if Grace would be batting for the lead. But Romagnoli dropped the fly ball and the flood gates opened. Ousley walked, Lehr doubled and Teague singled. Leah Frink got on base by an error and Heather Dragon followed with a single that drove in the fourth run of the inning.
Grace didn't have enough offensively to get back into the game and fell 7-2.
"We're a really young team," Stephen Liebsch said. "We've got two seniors and one junior. One day we're hitting the ball well, the next we're not. We're struggling a little bit and we just want to try harder and harder. They just need to settle down and relax."
Grace (5-11, 3-5) has now lost four in a row. The Lancers will host St. Xavier today at 3 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]
WINONA LAKE - Just erase the first two innings of game one and the last inning of game two and the Grace College softball team did an admirable job against Mid Central Conference foe Indiana Wesleyan in a doubleheader Thursday. But those three innings stung as the Wildcats outscored the Lancers 15-1 to sweep Grace 12-1 and 7-2.
Freshman Rachel Liebsch, a Warsaw Communtiy High School graduate, pitched 10-2/3 innings and allowed just three earned runs for Grace.
However, Indiana Wesleyan scored seven unearned runs when Liebsch was on the hill, including all four that came home in the seventh inning of the second game.
The Lancers struggled offensively with just four hits in the first game, which went just five innings because of the 10-run rule. In the second game, Grace put together eight hits but got just one with runners in scoring position.
"My power hitters' bats were so far ahead of the pitch," Grace head coach Stephen Liebsch said. "One girl turned to me and said, 'Am I ahead of the pitch, coach?' When the bat hits your back and then the catcher catches the ball, I would say you're a little ahead of the pitch. We're just not timing it well."
In game one, Jori Janigian started on the mound, but got through just 1-1/3 innings. Indiana Wesleyan put together five runs on six hits in the opening inning. Leslie Gottschalk led off with a double. After a sac bunt and a hit batter, WCHS grad Daisy Ousley drove home a run with a single.
Andy Lehr followed with another single to plate two more runs. The next batter, Jennifer Teague, added another base hit to drive in run No. 4 on the inning. After a pop-out, Joanie Crum singled to finish the first inning scoring with the fifth run.
Even though the Lancers trailed 5-0 before coming to the plate, Grace showed some composure in the bottom half of the first as Sheila Horst and Eve Arthur opened the inning with singles. Horst came around to score on a throwing error by Indiana Wesleyan's catcher.
But in the top of the second, the Wildcats got the run back plus some. Mindy Rupp singled to start the inning and scored on a double from Ousley. Lehr singled and Teague doubled to drive home two more runs.
At that point, Stephen Liebsch put Rachel Liebsch into the game to pitch. After a single and an error, Liebsch struck out Crum. Gottschalk doubled to drive home two runs before Liebsch got the third out. When the damage was done, Indiana Wesleyan led 11-1.
"I pulled them all out and said, 'Ladies, let's just go out there. I don't care what the score is. Let's just go out there and have fun'," Stephen Liebsch said. "They've been playing so uptight because they want to do so well."
Liebsch settled down and retired eight batters in a row in the second through fifth innings and the Wildcats only run came on a single and two errors in the fifth. But Grace could not get much offense going with just two hits after the first inning to bow in the first game.
In game two, Liebsch struck out a pair of batters in the first to strand one base runner and the Lancers had a chance to score first.
Horst singled to open the inning and Liz Thomas followed with a single after Arthur lined out. But Lauralea Thomas grounded out and Tami Romagnoli struck out to end the threat.
Both teams were scoreless until the fourth inning when Lehr and Teague had back-to-back doubles to give Indiana Wesleyan a 1-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Wildcats opened up with four straight base hits, the last driving home two runs off the bat of Ousley to make the score 3-0.
But Grace rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning. Romagnoli walked and scored on a Christa Langerud triple. Liebsch helped out her cause on the mound with a single to score Langerud and close the gap to 3-2.
In the seventh, it looked as if Wesleyan would go down quickly. Gottschalk flew out to Romagnoli and Rupp grounded out to open the inning. When Liebsch got Doehring to hit a soft fly ball to Romagnoli, it looked as if Grace would be batting for the lead. But Romagnoli dropped the fly ball and the flood gates opened. Ousley walked, Lehr doubled and Teague singled. Leah Frink got on base by an error and Heather Dragon followed with a single that drove in the fourth run of the inning.
Grace didn't have enough offensively to get back into the game and fell 7-2.
"We're a really young team," Stephen Liebsch said. "We've got two seniors and one junior. One day we're hitting the ball well, the next we're not. We're struggling a little bit and we just want to try harder and harder. They just need to settle down and relax."
Grace (5-11, 3-5) has now lost four in a row. The Lancers will host St. Xavier today at 3 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]