Sports resume at Cottey with softball sweep
Cottey College’s first sporting event in more than 100 days could not have been any more perfect.
Neither could the pitching of Lacey Cruz.
The sophomore slinger struck out nine of the 15 batters she faced, giving up zero hits or walks in the process, en route to an 8-0 run-ruled, season-opening victory over the University of Saint Mary Friday afternoon on the Vanek Family Softball Field.
The Comets completed the sweep with an 8-4 win in game two — thanks in large part to a grand slam by the Lady Spires that was called back on appeal due to an illegal bat used by the hitter.
Maria Howard’s four-run dinger put USM up 5-0 early, but Howard was ruled out and the score was changed back to 1-0 after umpires convened and analyzed her bat. Turns out, it was a model no longer on the NCAA’s approved list.
Much to the ire of the Lady Spires, the Comets responded with four home runs of their own off the (approved) bats of Lauren Johnson, Aryana Palencia, Caitlyn Morgan and Karina Ramirez.
Alyssa Montoya ripped a double and stole a base to help her cause in the circle, where she struck out four USM batters. Kirsten Wallace pitched four innings of scoreless relief and also struck out four.
Saint Mary’s batters could have tried swinging tree trunks against Cruz in the opener, and it may not have made a difference.
Then again, the Comets weren't lighting up the scoreboard either — until Morgan and Montoya hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth. Ramirez followed that up with a triple before scoring on a botched tag attempt.
“The momentum clearly shifted in that inning, and the team that I knew was in there awaked finally,” said Cottey head coach Mark Skapin, who added that he believes his team can be even better than perfect. “We are always competing against ourselves and there is still a ton of room for growth. I believe we were playing at only about 10 percent of our potential, which is somewhat understandable after the roller coaster events of the past year and only three weeks of preparation this spring."
Friday's games marked the school's first competitive sporting event since an esports clash against Northwood University on Oct. 26, 2020. Soon after that, all Cottey winter sports were shut down due to COVID protocols.
Weather permitting, the Comets will host Hastings College and Saint Mary of the Woods over the weekend.