By Mackenzie Davis
On Friday, March 21 the Grand Rapids Community College women’s softball team showed their strength in an amazing defeat of their double header against Alpena Community College.
With 13 freshmen joining this year head coach Chuck White shared his confidence in his team before the game.
“We look good, we have a group of hardworking girls and a lot of incoming talent. Pitcher is really solid. I should feel good about every game,” White said. “Lot of improvement and talent came in from the freshman and we got some sophomore leadership so we are feeling strong…They all get along great I think that’s probably…one of our strengths really, that they all get along and play for each other.”
The team started off strong in the first inning with three runs scored by freshmen players Kalani Stowe, Natalee Beck, on a wild pitch and Grace Chisek.
The Raiders defense seemed to be just as strong with sophomore catcher Madison Miller and Stowe pitching. The opposing team remained scoreless the entirety of the first game.
Before the game Miller, 20 of Dorr, shared her thoughts on the strengths of the team and how she was feeling.
“I’m always confident going into games, I’m not really nervous about it,” Miller said. “I feel like we all click together really well, especially on the field.”
The team’s cohesion was evident in the third inning, as Grace Salley hit the ball to the outfield and sent her teammates Beck, Chisek and Addison Nemecek home.
The GRCC Raiders mercied ACC in the first game with a score of 10-0.
The opposing team came back swinging in the second game having five runs by the end of the second inning but Raiders still held on with a one run lead.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Beck hit a single to left field sending Stowe home, freshman Ashlyn Reagan, freshman Violet McWhinnie and Salley added three more runs to the scoreboard. Stowe finished up the sixth inning by hitting a double and sending three more of her teammates home.
It was an overall great match from the GRCC Raiders who won their second game against ACC with a 6-run lead and adding to their overall record of 15 wins out of the 16 played and a conference record of 2-2 in the MCCAA Northern Conference.
