Lookout Mountain, GA- The Lady Scots' first victory of the season came Friday evening in game two's match-up against Virginia Intermont College. After being shut out in game one 7-0, Covenant apparently decided enough was enough and finally began hitting the ball like they've wanted to all year. In game two, they had everything from seeing eye singles to ropes down the line, from bloop hits to blasts into the gaps, but it was Christine Core's grand slam in the bottom of the first that helped ignite their offensive fury and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Covenant scored 8 runs in the first, 3 in the second, and 4 in the third en route to a 15-1 shellacking, where they nearly doubled the mercy rule.
"I really just wanted to put the ball in play," said Core on her grand slam. "I had already been the first out that inning, so there way no way I was going to be the third! I was swinging for a solid hit my first two strikes and I shortened up to make some contact on strike three and the ball just went. I had no idea I had hit it out, I was just thinking it better at least be a double, but I watched it fall while I was running around first, then I got excited. It felt awesome." The bomb over the right field wall was not only Core's first career grand slam but also her first career home-run.
In game one- in which the Lady Scots were shut out for the 12th time this season- Covenant managed only 3 hits (2 of those coming from junior third baseman Lindsey Potter), and the worry remained that a lack of offense would again doom the team to another miserable defeat. But Core and the rest of the team went 10 for 25 (.400) with 15 runs (13 batted in and 9 earned) in game two to set the softball program onto the winning track.
"It is such a relief to finally get a win!" continued Core. "It has been such a frustrating process, and I'm thinking we are finally going to start seeing results. We are all fed up with losing and this game definitely proves to us that we are capable of producing runs and winning games. Hopefully this game will give us some good momentum going into the second half of the season."
Surely some good momentum had to have been gained for the Lady Scots from the win. Six different players recorded hits for the Lady Scots in game two, three of whom recorded multiple hits. Core, with the aforementioned grand slam, plus an infield single in the fourth; junior co-captain Kim Cuticchia had a pair of singles to center field, both in the first inning; and first baseman Courtney Wagoner had a 3-hit outing that consisted of a double to center in the first, a single to center in the second, and another single to center in the third.
Freshman Morgan Booker added a 3-run shot in the third that capped off the scoring for Covenant.
Sophomore Chelsea Krafft pitched two more complete games: a total of 12 innings. She gave up 7 runs on 8 hits, struck out 8, and walked 1 in the first game. Then gave up 1 run on 3 hits, struck out 4 more and walked none in the second.
The Lady Scots will look to continue their hot hitting Saturday afternoon as they face the Lady Cavaliers of Montreat College (17-16, 5-1 AAC). First pitch is set for 2:00pm.
