The Cavaliers softball team played five long matches in two short days this past weekend at the Shorter College invitational in Rome, Georgia, with Montreat emerging with a record of 4-1 against formidable competition.  The Cavs were pitted against Emmanuel College, the University of Mobile, Ohio Dominican College, Shorter College, and Martin Methodist College.

First up was Emmanuel College.  After giving up 5 runs in the first inning, Montreat came back with a passion to score 15 unanswered runs.  The game was ended decisively by a 3-run home run hit by junior centerfielder Jamie Lokken in the 5th inning which produced the final score of 15-5.  The ten-run lead resulted in the game being called after five innings.

The same night, Head Coach Lee Swanson's team took the field against the University of Mobile (Alabama), a team ranked 18th in the NAIA, in an intense game that wouldn't end until after midnight, when the Cavaliers secured a 9-8 win in extra innings.  Three Montreat errors in the first inning caused them to slip behind the Rams 0-5. But the team continued to fight and hit; their effort paid off when Olivia Huffman cracked a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 7th with 2 outs. The Cavaliers held off Mobile in the top of the 8th, and then Maggie Rogers hit a 2-out infield single to break an 8-8 tie and win the game.

The second day of the tournament opened up with Montreat vs. Ohio Dominican. Montreat cruised to a 10-3 victory behind Jamie Lokken, who went 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and a double.  Ohio Dominican couldn't keep up, scoring single runs in the second, fourth, and sixth innings.  Montreat's five runs in the 6th inning made for a forceful end of this game.

The momentum continued as Montreat went on to down nationally-ranked Shorter College, the host of the weekend tournament.  After two runs in the 1st inning thanks to a double by Kristine Valdez and a single in the 3rd by Huffman, Shorter College couldn't come up with a run of their own. The 3-0 score lasted the rest of the game, and went in the books as a remarkable upset.  Coach Swanson was quite pleased. "This game is an example of how good we can be going forward," he says. "We played with intensity for 7 innings."

Finally, in their fifth contest in two days, the Lady Cav's softball team fell 6-2 to nationally 7th-rated Martin Methodist College from Pulaski, Tennessee.  "We ran out of gas," says Swanson. "Playing our third game of the day took its toll."  After tying the game at 1-1 in the second inning, Montreat could not hang on. They gave up 3 runs in the 6th inning, which sealed the deal for the Red Hawks.

Coach Swanson is hopeful for the future, though, after a pretty inspiring weekend. "We went 4-1 for the weekend against some of the best teams in the nation. If we can clean up our defensive mistakes, we will be extremely difficult to beat. Our girls are excited for the upcoming schedule."

The weekend saw the Cavaliers raise their overall record to 8-7 as they travel to Spartanburg, SC this weekend for a tournament. Since an 0-4 start, Montreat has reeled off a fine 8-3 mark, and beaten two nationally ranked opponents.