Skipjacks handling early schedule with ease
LA PLATA – Conference and region women's softball schedules frontloaded with title contenders could be considered a challenge. The Skipjacks apparently prefer to view the situation as an opportunity.
Chesapeake College blanked the College of Southern Maryland, 4-0 and 20-0, Wednesday afternoon as the Skipjacks (12-3 overall) moved to 4-0 in both the state and region standings. Durrie Hayes' team moves on to a Saturday doubleheader at state and region rival Cecil College before hosting reigning Region XX champion Potomac State College in a Sunday doubleheader.
"If we have a good weekend, we could be in pretty good shape come Monday for the conference and the region," said Hayes, adding, "Between Cecil's pitching and Pot State's hitting, though, it's going to be a challenge."
CSM's hitters were no challenge for a trio of Chesapeake pitchers. Kara Wood and Chloe Day combined on a three-hitter in the five-inning nightcap after Rachael Milligan (nine strikeouts, six walks) tossed her second straight one-hitter in the opener.
"She didn't have her normal control, but she was popping the ball," Hayes said of Milligan, who allowed only a fourth-inning hit by Alexis Clark. "She threw the ball by a bunch of 'em."
Kristina Shank (2-for-2, two walks) had a two-run triple and scored on Jenna Willey's groundout as part of a three-run third that gave the Skipjacks a 3-0 lead in the opener. Tori Hughes (2-for-4) scored on the front end of a seventh-inning double steal with Savannah Miller to tack on an insurance run.
Abby Nelson (3-for-4), Cat Ramagnano (2-for-3) and Caroline Clarry (2-for-3) also had multi-hit games as the Skipjacks banged out 12 hits in the opener.
Wood (three strikeouts, no walks) yielded two hits over the first three innings while Day (four strikeouts, no walks) allowed a hit in two innings in the nightcap. They received plenty of offensive support as Chesapeake totaled 21 hits.
"I think we were just more focused," Hayes said of his team's offensive outburst in the nightcap. "We left a lot of people on in the first game. In the second game, Cat [Ramagnano] led off with a double and it just rolled from there."
Ramagnano (4-for-4, two RBI) led off Game 2 with one of her two doubles and scored on Shank's RBI single. A single by Willey (2-for-3, double, two walks), a walk to Nelson (2-for-4, double, three RBI), and a pair of passed balls quickly made it 3-0.
Ramagnano singled, stole second and scored on a pair of passed balls to make it 4-0 in the second.
Chesapeake parlayed seven hits and three walks into eight third-inning runs before the Skipjacks put up another eight-spot in the fourth. Nelson and Brittney Platt (2-for-3, double, three RBI) contributed two-run singles and Ramagnano had a two-run double in the fourth-inning outburst.
Kristen Catlin (three RBI) and Shank (two RBI) each had three hits and Hughes added a pair of singles. Day had her first collegiate hit in Game 2.
All 10 Skipjacks who batted in the nightcap had at least one hit.