On Wednesday, May 20, Grand Rapids Community College softball fell to No. 18 seed Cuyahoga Community College of Ohio, with a final score of 7-3. This ended the Raiders season with a final record of 42-10 (23-2) conference.
From the beginning of the game, there was a match in skills as the Raiders battled at the plate to get on base. Freshman shortstop Kenady O’Leary was the first to get a hit, but was unfortunately caught out due to a fly ball.
At first, the Raiders’ defense moved as a unit, and gave everything they had to avoid any chance for a run. The Raiders proceeded to shut down CCC in the bottom of the first, going three up and three down. As CCC continued to get hits, it seemed the Raiders’ defense became more rushed, resulting in some careless moves on the field and runs across the plate.
Again battling at the plate to get on base, the Raiders just couldn’t get their hits to straighten out, as there were many timely full counts. It appeared the tide began to turn in the bottom of the fourth inning as sophomore pitcher Lillian Klop contributed to the three-up, three-down inning by striking out two batters.
The Raiders then responded as sophomore designated hitter Natalee Beck cracked a double, allowing freshman infielder Tia Schone to score. It seemed to be the pressure of the Raiders’ swings was catching up with CCC, as they contributed to a Raiders’ score due to a bases-loaded walk home, tying the score 3-3.
Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing 3-5, the Raiders made a few more errors, resulting in two more unearned runs. Sophomore pitcher Kalani Stowe put an end to the inning by striking out the last two batters.
The pressure was on the Raiders to make an offensive move on CCC, as they were now four runs behind. Unfortunately, the Raiders started off the inning with two outs, as Stowe got on base due to a walk. Ending the game with a hit, sophomore infielder Grace Salley went up to the plate and went with a swing that resulted in a caught fly ball.
Despite how the tournament ended for the Raiders, their fans remain impressed that they represented GRCC for the first time in 30 years at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DII World Series. This moment is now a future motivator for the returning Raiders who will take the field next season.
