Softball and Baseball see victories during break

While most students were taking time off, Truman State’s softball and baseball teams played hard on the road during midterm break. Both teams returned to Kirkville boasting wins from the road.   Softball The softball team bounced back from a tough weekend in Arkansas last month with seven wins during its trip to the 2015 National Training Center Spring Games March 6-10 in Clermont, Florida. Before midterm break, the ‘Dogs had a record of 1-3 and were looking to come back from Florida with a winning record. The team turned its numbers around, winning seven out of eight games in four days. Senior second baseman Andrea Klipsch, who the GLVC named Player of the Week for her defensive skills, says the team was very prepared to face its opponents. “We were lucky enough to play every game against a team in our region,” Klipsch says. “We were expecting to play against tough competition, so we practiced even harder to get ready for them.” The ‘Dogs were ready for the challenge, outscoring their opponents 56-7 in their seven wins combined. The victories also gave the ‘Dogs regional points, which will boost their chances of getting an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament at the end of the season. Sophomore catcher Lex Van Nostrand says the bats “came alive” in Florida, and that strong batting lineup was a big factor in the wins. “No matter if one player doesn’t hit well in a game, we can rely on other players to get the job done,” Van Nostrand says. “We have power through the whole lineup.” The Bulldogs finished with 11 home runs throughout their seven victories. The squad also had the chance to enjoy some downtime in the Sunshine State. Out of the five days they spent in Clermont, four of them were spent playing ball and the fifth day was left open for the players. Junior pitcher Kelsea Dorsey says half of the team spent their day off relaxing at Cocoa Beach, Florida. She says the remainder of the team, herself included, went to either Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure, a local amusement park. Dorsey says they got the chance to go on rides at Universal Studios and even explore Diagon Alley, which is Universal’s take on a scene from the “Harry Potter” series.   Baseball The baseball team faced five opponents before they took on the University of Southern Indiana March 14-16. The first series played was against University of Illinois-Springfield March 7-8. The team had not played a game since early February, so the Bulldogs were determined to have a strong performance during the four-game series. Brendan Trimble, freshman third and second baseman, says the team had a resilient pitching and batting game against the University of Illinois during the first day of the series. “I thought that we played great,” says Trimble. “Our team seemed to really click as a group even though it was only our second series of the year.” The Bulldogs won three out of the four games against Illinois-Springfield. Truman won 5-2 during its first game and 7-4 during the second Saturday. Then Truman fell 5-4 during the first game the next day, but bounced back with a 7-0 win during the second game. After the weekend, the team remained on the road and traveled down Highway 63 to play the University of Missouri in an exhibition game. Even though the Bulldogs lost 10-2, the players gained significant experience from the Div. I competition, senior shortstop and second baseman Zak Larkin says. “The score definitely did not reflect how we played,” Larkin says. “I believe we showed that we can play with anybody. We did a lot of things well, the results just weren’t there at the end.” The men continued to practice after Tuesday, as they did not have another game until March 14 when the ‘Dogs began GLVC play against the University of Southern Indiana. The Bulldogs were confident they would play well against the defending national champions in four games. After three days of rain and with the outfield mostly mud, Truman came out with a 7-5 victory Saturday. The Bulldogs proved they could play the then-No. 6 ranked team in the country in the worst conditions and come out victorious. Truman played two more games against the Screaming Eagles Sunday and won them with a final score of 14-5 and 7-1.  Truman took the series 10-7 after Monday. The ‘Dogs will host McKendree University this weekend at Bulldog Baseball Park this Saturday and Sunday. Truman will face the Bearcats twice on both days, with the first pitch set to be thrown at noon Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.