ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Carleton softball team began its participation in the Sun West Tournament with losses to Holy Names University and La Sierra University by scores of 13-0 and 4-2, respectively. It took the Knights’ offense a while to get going in the squad’s first game action in two weeks. Carleton is now 1-3 on the season.
In the opener of eight games at the tourney, the Knights found it difficult to get anything going against Holy Names, with the game halted after five innings. Hawks’ rookie hurler Stephanie Fairclough went the distance, tossing 5.0 innings of no-hit ball with three walks and 11 strikeouts.
Carleton starting pitcher Mari Jo Long (Sr./Willmette, Ill./New Trier) was turning in a solid out of her own, but things started unraveled for the Knights in the fourth. Long retired the first two batters, but Holy Names strung together 10 consecutive hits en route to a nine-run frame. The biggest blow was a three-run homer by Megan Harrison.
The Knights’ offense got going in its second game of the day. Lisa Friedman (Sr./Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Preparatory) led of the game with a walk and scored on Michael Johnson’s (Jr./Minneapolis/Blake) double to left-center. The Golden Eagles, however, got an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to even the score.
Carleton went back in front in the third as Friedman was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Alex Schefter’s (So./Mt. Vernon, Iowa) double and came home on a throwing error. Unfortunatley, La Sierra countered in the home half of the frame as back-to-back two-out hits chased home the tying run.
Another two-out rally doomed Carleton in the fifth. After setting gown the first two batters of the inning, Long yielded a single, walk, single and a wild pitch, allowing the Golden Eagles to push across a pair of runs for the 4-2 triumph.
Schefter and Johnson both finished the day with two of the Knights’ six hits.
On the day, 11 of the 17 runs surrendered by Carleton pitching came after the opposition had two outs and no baserunners.
Carleton will look to rebound on Monday, March 23 with games against Whitworth Univeristy (Wash.) and Williams College (Mass.)