Montreat Softball Head Coach Lee Swanson wants his team to excel in every facet of the game, so while his team had to settle for an unsatisfying 2-2 record during a weekend tournament in Spartanburg, S.C., he talked about suicide squeezes and sacrifice bunts and clutch hits and saw what his team is capable of as the season progresses.

On Saturday, March 6, Montreat began the weekend with a tightly-contested 5-4 victory over Catawba College that saw the Cavs just cling to the winning margin after the Indians scored 3 in the bottom of the last inning (the seventh) before Montreat recorded the final out and stranded the tying run on second base. 

Junior Rachel Stowe earned the win and struck out 7 opponents, while Jamie Lokken and Olivia Huffman propelled the offense.  As she has all season, Lokken swung a dangerous bat and produced a 2-RBI double to right-center while Huffman hit her 3rd home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the fifth inning.

Lincoln Memorial University never let Montreat into Saturday's game two, scoring 4 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd en route to a 10-3 win.  The loss dropped Montreat's record to 9-8 as the Sunday games waited.

Just as they had on Saturday, Montreat managed a narrow win in their first game of the day, edging Limestone College 3-1 in 8 innings as each team managed only 3 hits.  In fact, Swanson lamented that his defense committed more errors - four - than they collected base hits. 

One of those hits was a triple by Lokken in the top of the first frame; after she scored on a passed ball, only Limestone could manufacture a run in regulation, tying the game in the bottom of the 5th.  Montreat won the contest with 2 in the 8th by cobbling together what they could against stout Limestone defense and pitching: a sacrifice bunt by Priscilla Silva, another sacrifice bunt by Stephanie Morrison, a safety squeeze bunt by Maggie Rogers. 

That kind of scrambling, resourceful play is gratifying for a coach, but Swanson was disappointed as game 4 of the weekend slipped away during a 3-1 loss to Newberry College.  After his team scored in only 6 different innings over the 29 innings they played, Swanson summarized the effort this way: "Offensively and defensively, we did not get it done this weekend.  We have to start playing better as a team going forward." 

Swanson anticipates a long road trip on March 12-13 to Mobile, Alabama and 4 games against quality opponents will tell him where his team is now as the Cavaliers prepare to dive into conference play in ten days' time.

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.

Softball, like baseball, is associated with spring and summer - warm days, a green field, sunlight bathing players and fans alike.  But even though the Montreat College softball team began its 2010 season in relatively warm Savannah, Georgia, the Cavaliers' play reflected the snowy February we've been experiencing back in the mountains: like the weather, the Cavs' bats were cold and the defense was sluggish.

Trouble came early and plagued the Cavs during a 4-game set over the weekend of February 6-7 as Montreat faced Armstrong Atlantic University, Brenau University, and the Savannah College of Art and Design and came away with an 0-4 record.

Game one started inauspiciously as Armstrong Atlantic University, the host team for this game, scored 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning, 1 in the second, and 5 in the third.  That 8-0 score, achieved largely behind three Pirate home runs, became the final as the game was called after Montreat failed to score in the top of the fifth inning.  Junior pitcher Nicole Denney took the loss.

Head Coach Lee Swanson was somewhat philosophical about the opening loss and, in fact, the difficulties his team underwent over the long weekend.  "It was evident that this weekend's games were about getting outside on a softball field and getting in some time as a team."  

The second game of the Saturday slate pitted Montreat against nationally-ranked Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and despite some signs of offensive life, the Cavaliers fell to the Bees 11-5.  Junior pitcher Rachel Stowe was saddled with the loss, but she also sparked the offense with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in.  Junior center fielder Jamie Lokken hit a home run and added 2 RBI as well.  Swanson noted his team's improved play but lamented the Bees' ten stolen bases.

Games 3 and 4 shifted across Savannah to SCAD's home field, where Montreat first faced Brenau University of Gainesville, Georgia.  The Golden Tigers downed the Cavs 10-1, scoring 3 in the top of the 1st and 2nd innings in a game that was called after five innings.  Defensive miscues allowed Brenau some unearned runs early and Montreat couldn't generate the offense needed to fight back.  Freshman second baseman Kristine Valdez drove in Montreat's run with an RBI double.

The weekend ended with a 10-2 defeat at the hands of SCAD as Montreat allowed 14 hits and committed 4 errors (their 10th in the four games) in falling to the powerful Bees.  Coach Swanson saw the benefits of traveling to a city that wasn't covered in snow and ice and getting his squad battle-ready.  The losses didn't make for an ideal start to a season, but he realizes there are dozens of games remaining.  "We have to get back to work and fix some things, but the key to the weekend was getting some games played outdoors and remembering what it's like to be in competitive conditions."