LUBBOCK, Texas – February 1, 2019 – Chadron State College softball opened the season Friday at the TAJ Hospitality Softball Tournament, hosted by Lubbock Christian University on its campus and that of Lubbock Christian School, a local high school.
The Eagles broke in two true freshmen and four first-time starters, including pitcher
Gabby Russell, dropping a pair of non-conference games to begin the schedule. Oklahoma Christian University outscored CSC 7-1 in the opener, while the University of Texas-Permian Basin fought to a 5-2 win in the late afternoon game.
A pair of freshmen made a good showing of their first outing.
Bailey Marvel, the Eagles' new shortstop from Lakewood, Colorado, led the team batting 3-for-7 for a .429 average, and walked once.
Haleigh Hoefs of Lincoln, Nebraska, had a team-high two RBI on the day and the Eagles' only extra-base hit.
Russell received her first start in the circle against OCU, walking nine and allowing nine base hits, but ultimately limiting opponent runs to seven. The Eagles only scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh, when Hoefs doubled with two out, following a walk by
Leilani Niccum.
Oklahoma Christian manufactured runs in the second through fifth innings, tacking on two more in the seventh, to grab the win for freshman pitcher Kali Crandall, who allowed only three hits in six innings.
In the later game, the Eagles improved, on paper at least. They fell behind 2-0 in a third inning string of miscues, and nearly tied things up in the fifth and sixth innings when Hoefs plated Marvel on a sac fly and
Allie Mason hit an RBI single. Those two innings saw three runners left on base.
The Falcons got two across in the bottom of the sixth to ice the game. UTPB junior Maritza Rojas earned the save after entering the game in the sixth. Senior starter Sloan Springfield recorded the win.
Senior
Haylee McKeehan gave up the first run in the third, and therefore she was assessed the loss despite pitching only two and one-third innings. Fellow senior
Dallas Magnusson relieved for the remaining three and two-third innings.
The Eagles are 0-2 and will play two more games on Saturday, versus Western New Mexico and host Lubbock Christian.
