Caitlin Dorsch ~ Copy Desk Chief

On Saturday, March 2, the University of Lynchburg softball team defeated Geneva College in a non-conference two-game sweep by a score of 5 to 0 in the seven-inning first game and by a score of 13 to 0 in the second game in only five innings.  

This marks the eleventh straight regular-season sweet by the Lynchburg team.  In their home-opener for the 2019 season, they started off hot with strong pitching by senior Taylor Belknap where she struck out seven players, allowing just two hits according to the Lynchburg Sports Website.

Senior third basemen, Taylor Mabry also crushed two home runs and had a double while she was at-bat throughout the day.  Furthermore, sophomore outfielder, Kortney Leazer hit her first-career home run in the first game.

In reaction to the sweep on Saturday, Belknap remarked, “It’s been a tough couple of weeks for us with the weather not cooperating, but thankfully we were able to play this weekend and we were all very excited to get out on our home field with our fans to support us.  We all work day-in and day-out on the little things and those little things are what we did well on Saturday.”

Leazer added that “chemistry played a huge role in our recent wins.  We’re playing at our level and, if we’re playing a team that might not be as good, it can be hard to stay upbeat and play OUR game.  I think that was an issue with us last year, but, this year, we’re maintaining our abilities a lot more and trusting one another to have our backs.”

Along with this focus on trust, comes the necessity for communication on this team.  According to Belknap, there has been much improvement regarding communication since the start of the regular season.  Belknap said, “Our improvement in communication definitely helped us when communicating about the tendencies of the opposing pitcher, calling a ball, even letting someone know how they could have a better at-bat the next time around.  We were focused on playing our own game, and we made great plays on defense. Because of these factors, we were able to come out with two wins.”

The UofL Lady Hornets team looks to add onto their hot streak at the Salisbury Invitational in Salisbury, Maryland on Saturday (March 9) against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., on Sunday (March 10) against Cortland at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., and on Monday (March 11) at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Caitlin Dorsch ~ Copy Desk Chief

On Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, the University of Lynchburg women’s indoor track and field team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship title at Roanoke College’s Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia. Of all the Hornets who competed, many provided stellar performances in order to secure their team the victory with an overall score of 176 points, 44 points ahead of the second-place Bridgewater College team.  

Sophomore, Kaitlyn Johnson placed second in the 5,000-meter-run and third in the 3,000-meter-run. Junior, Keaira Reese placed third in the triple jump. Junior, Sammi Woods placed first in shot put. Senior, Endasia Mitchell placed first in the 400-meter-dash and first in the 4X400-meter-relay with first-years Bailey Casto and Jessica Cammarata and sophomore Angela Ramsden.  Cammarata was named Rookie of the Meet. Senior, Madeline Van Aken, placed first in the pole vault and was named Field Athlete of the Year. And, head coach Jim Sprecher was named women’s coach of the year.

In reaction to the conference title, first-year Jillian Guerra stated, “The win feels great because today was a huge step into moving our team bond from just teammates to a family.” First-year, Faith Francis added a personal touch to Guerra’s statement by mentioning, “For me to witness the win was a great experience, and I cannot wait to compete and be part of the winning experience.”

Sophomore, Angela Ramsden explained that, “this win is just another example of all of the dedication and hard work our team had been putting into practice” while hinting at the fact that this was her second title as part of the track and field team.  In April 2018, the team had won the outdoor ODAC title with a score of 195 total points, 30 points ahead of the second-place Bridgewater College team. She went even further to say, “Even though we may not all practice together because of event specific needs, you can see that when it matters we all come together and achieve a great win together as a team and family.”

Up next for a few of the Hornet athletes will be the Roanoke Last Chance Qualifier at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia on Saturday, March 2, 2019.  Then, a few of the athletes will travel to Boston, Massachusetts in order to compete in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, March 8, 2019.