FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Rockford University softball team kicked off its 2016 campaign on Saturday with games against Swarthmore College and Elms College. The Regents played very well for parts of both games but unfortunately came up short falling 10-3 to Swarthmore and 7-5 to Elms.
In the opening game of the day, the Regents started strong scoring a run in each of the first three innings. Junior shortstop Lisa Blakeley-Snyder (Winnebago, Ill.) got the Regents off on the right foot as she led off the season with double into deep left field. Two batters later, Mercedes Boykin (Belvidere, Ill.) scorched a double of her own into center scoring Blakeley-Snyder and giving Rockford an early 1-0 lead. The Regents continued to add to their lead in the second inning as Caitlin Eiben (Racine, Wis.) crushed a solo home run to left field putting her team out in front 2-0. Rockford would tack on one additional run in the third inning as the Regents continued to put pressure on the Swarthmore defense. Following a Stefaney Kenworthy (Veedersburg, Ind.) two-out walk, Caitlin Eiben laced her second hit of the game through the right side of the infield to put runners on the corners. Rockford then used a perfectly executed double steal to score Kenworthy and increase its lead to 3 runs.
Inside the circle, Rockford got four really solid innings from senior pitcher Brittany Bura (Chicago, Ill.). Bura was almost unhittable through four allowing just 1 hit and 1 unearned run as Rockford held a 3-1 lead. However, the Regents stumbled a bit as a team in the fifth and sixth innings allowing nine runs as Rockford made a few mental and physical mistakes defensively. Unfortunately, Swarthmore was able to take advantage of those miscues and put the game away with a 10-3 victory.
Rockford's game against Elms had a bit of different feel to it as this time it was the Regents who got off to a slow start. Elms took advantage of a pair of Rockford errors in the first two innings to jump out to a quick 5-0 lead. Despite digging themselves an early hole, the Regents continued to battle and would pull back within a single run after a four-run third inning. Mercedes Boykin continued her hot hitting as she began the inning with a single back up the middle. After two quick outs and an Elms error, sophomore Alex Storey (Dexter, Mich.) drove in Rockford's first run of the game with an RBI single into center. A couple of batters later with the bases loaded, Abigail Wellwood (Rockford, Ill.) came through with a clutch 2-out, 2-run single to pull her team back within two runs. The Regents would tack on one additional run in the inning as Lisa Blakeley-Snyder ripped her third hit in as many innings as Rockford now trailed by just one run after three innings of play.
Elms tacked on two more runs in the fourth before Rockford made one final push down the stretch. It was again Abigail Wellwood who provided the spark for the Regents offense as she began the rally with a one-out single into right center field. After a walk and a fielder's choice, Mercedes Boykin delivered another big hit with an RBI single into right center cutting the Elms lead down to 7-5. However as was the theme for much of the game, the Regents were unable to add any additional runs as they stranded two more runners. Rockford left a total of 11 runners on base and stranded multiple runners in four innings including leaving the bases loaded in the first. Ultimately that would come back to haunt the Regents as Rockford fell by a final score of 7-5.
Junior Stefaney Kenworthy pitched very well for Rockford as she tossed her first complete game since her freshman season. Kenworthy went 6 strong innings allowing just 3 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking none.
Rockford had a total of five players hit over .400 on the day. Lisa Blakeley-Snyder led the Regent offense as she combined to go 5-for-7 with a double, 2 walks, 2 runs scored and an RBI. Caitlin Eiben smashed her first collegiate home run en route to a 4-for-7 day with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Abigail Wellwood went a perfect 3-for-3 with 2 runs batted in, while Mercedes Boykin and Brittany Bura each went 3-for-7. Boykin also added a double and 2 runs batted in to her totals.
The RU softball team returns to action on Monday, March 7 against Kenyon and Nazareth. The doubleheader will begin at 10:00 AM CST in Fort Myers, Florida.
