Softball splits home opener with Roosevelt

Whiting, IN - The Calumet College Softball team finally played a game at their home field, the Whiting Sports Complex, on Tuesday against Roosevelt University. The Crimson Wave were coming off a tough two-game loss to Cardinal Stritch, where the Wave had only scored a total of 3 runs in the 14 innings. In Game 1, the Wave continued to struggle to pull together enough hits to score a run but their defense kept them in the game until the top of the 7th inning when the Lakers took the lead and won the game 1-0. The Crimson Wave were hungry for game two and made the adjustments at the plate, coming out of the game with 14 hits and scoring 13 runs to get their 13-5 win and split the series. 

Game 1- CCSJ 0, Roosevelt 1

Senior Josselline Monge started on the mound for the Crimson Wave and went the distance, pitching all 7 innings with 2 strikeouts and giving up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 1 HBP. The Crimson Wave offense couldn't string enough hits together to bring home runners in scoring position, leaving 8 runners on base and only collecting 5 hits throughout the game. Freshman Kylee Slack led the Wave's offense, going 2-2 with a double and an HBP. 

Game 2 - CCSJ 13, Roosevelt 5 (6 innings)

Sophomore Kenzie Lanman started on the mound in game 2 for the Wave and pitched a full 6 innings with 2 strikeouts, allowing 9 hits with just 2 earned runs and 1 HBP. The Lakers jumped on the Wave early, scoring 1 run in the 1st inning with a couple of big hits, but the Wave's defense and offense quickly caught up and shut Roosevelt down. Sophomore Alex Navarro led off the 2nd inning with a double and Sophomore Priscilla Seniw put the Crimson Wave on the board with a 2-run double to centerfield, giving the Wave a 2-0 lead going into the 3rd inning. The Lakers scored two runs in the top of the 3rd inning to give them the lead, but the Wave didn't let that phase them as a double from Slack scored Junior Kayla Kirmani from first base and then a 2 run Homerun from Navarro gave the Crimson Wave a 5-3 lead going into the 4th inning. 

The Crimson Wave defense shut down the Lakers in the top of the 4th, and in the next half-inning, the Wave would secure their lead for the game. Sophomore Tiffanie Brieno led off the bottom of the 4th with a Homerun over the left-field fence. Sophomore Roxanne Ines singled on a bunt, forcing a pitching change for the Lakers. Ines stole and moved to third on a ground out from Sophomore Ryan Regnier, which set up another run for the Wave as Kirmani singled to left and scored Ines. Slack was walked and Navarro singled to move into scoring position as Senior Grace Elrod hit a 2-run double. With Elrod on second, Freshman Adelina Staden followed with a double herself to score Elrod. The 5 runs scored by the Wave forced another pitching change for the Lakers, but Seniw singled and scored Staden to give the Wave an 11-3 lead going into the top of the 5th inning. 

On the edge of being run-ruled the Lakers scored 1 run in the top of the 5th inning and 1 run in the top of the 6th inning off of the Wave to keep the game going. In the bottom of the 6th inning, a 2-run Homerun from Staden secured the Wave's 13-5 lead and the game two win. 

Navarro led the Crimson Wave 3-4 with 2 RBIs, a double, a stolen base, a Homerun, and 4 runs scored. Staden went 2-3 with 3 RBIs, a double, a stolen base, a Homerun, and 3 runs scored. Seniw also went 2-3 with 3 RBIs and a double. Kirmani went 2-3 with 1 RBI, 1 walk, a stolen base, and 1 run scored. 

The Crimson Wave are now 3-3 in CCAC play with two home doubleheaders this week against Judson on Thursday and Friday against Olivet Nazarene.