by Kevin Byrne
In a season already full of winning streaks and losing streaks, the Grinnell softball team looks to end its six-game losing streak Saturday at home against Illinois College on Senior Day.
The Pioneers have lost three straight double-headers after winning five games in a row in mid-April. Most recently, the team was blanked in two contests at Coe on Wednesday. Grinnell also dropped two games at Luther College over the weekend, despite two complete-game pitching performances from Emily Kolbe ‘07 and Emily Stewart ‘08. In the contests, Stewart was able to extend her consecutive game hit streak to 14 games.
Despite the production from Stewart, the story this year has been lack of offensive consistency for head coach Tom Sonnichsen, as he has been blessed with stellar starting pitching but a lineup that has struggled to put up runs at times.
“Our offensive production measured by runs is not where we would like to be,” said Sonnichsen. “However, we are putting the ball in play and getting on base, so this is a big improvement over last season. Remember, we have a young team and we have a very challenging schedule. Many of the teams we play will be playing in the postseason. This is great training and will really pay off down the line.”
Coe was one of those teams who will be reaching the postseason this year, and after their trip to Cedar Rapids the Pioneers have scored six runs in their last six games, none in their last three. Heading into Saturday’s action, Grinnell stands at 3-8 in Midwest Conference play, and two wins on the road would be a step in the right direction.
“The Coe games will be good preparation for a tough IC team on Saturday,” said Emily Kolbe ‘07 before Wednesday’s contests. “Coe has an extremely good team, but if we show up ready to play hard we can beat them. IC is at the top of our division, so tough competition before Saturday will prepare us for the challenge.”
Illinois College currently sits at 8-3 in MWC play, and has already clinched a berth in the 2005 Softball Championships. Grinnell will look for a strong outing from their starting pitchers and some offensive production to get themselves back in striking distance in conference play.
“We need to enter these contests with the confidence that, if we bring our ‘A’ game we will be in a position to win,” said Sonnichsen. “They are a team that seeks to take advantage whenever possible. Again, if we want to be really good, we need to answer this type of challenge. I know our team can play with them. I’m proud of the way the players have faced each challenge this season.”
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