The Hillsdale College softball team finished 3-1 in West Virginia this past weekend. Defeating Glenville State University, University of Charleston, and West Virginia State University, the Chargers lost only to Shepherd University on Friday afternoon.
Senior Dana Weidinger earned back-to-back G-MAC Pitcher of the Week awards after going 3-0 this weekend. Weidinger pitched two complete games, the 7-0 shutouts against both Glenville and Charleston, and pitched relief to earn the 4-3 win against West Virginia. Weidinger struck out 20 batters and only gave up seven hits, three walks, and one run over those three games.
The weekend culminated in the team’s final win against West Virginia, with the Chargers defeating the Yellow Jackets 4-3 in an extra-inning, walk-off win.
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, senior Madison Stoner hit a single to the outfield, which allowed seniors Natalie Stepanenko and Sam Catron to score and overtake the Yellow Jackets for the win.
Freshman pitcher Erin Kapteyn had her first career start in the action-packed game against West Virginia on Saturday. Head coach Kyle Gross said that she performed remarkably well, especially for her first start.
“She pitched 5 strong innings and only gave up 2 hits before the fifth inning. It was a great first start for Erin,” Gross said.
Kapteyn said that the only difference between high school and college pitching was the added pressure that came with a collegiate team.
“It was nerve-wracking because as a senior in high school, you’re the oldest girl on the field, but as a freshman now, I’m going up against some girls who are 23,” Kapteyn said. “But my team was so supportive. I could hear them all when I was on the mound.”
Gross said the team focused on consistency with their defense and hitting, and those skills were demonstrated with their success this weekend. Senior first-baseman Emma Johnson said that the players were simply becoming more comfortable in the box, which allowed for their offensive improvement.
“Our coach would remind us before games to just be comfortable because we knew what we were doing,” Johnson said. “We put a lot of swings in during practice last week and focused on being picky with our pitches, so we were really happy with our performances.”
The Chargers will be traveling down south this weekend for three double-headers against Queens University Charlotte at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., Augusta University 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Erskine College at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.