Early Struggles for Softball

By Gabe Taylor

For the Santa Clara softball team, the season so far has been dealing with adversity and learning on the fly. Two tournaments in back-to-back weeks and a loss in their home opener have left the Broncos with a 1-10 overall record and little time for practice. 

"By no means are we where we want to be and we realize that," said junior Alyssa Jepsen.

After racking up nine straight losses, and giving 63 runs in those games, Santa Clara had a chance to reroute their season with a win against UC Davis. But a two run fifth inning for the Aggies proved to be just enough for them to scrape by with a 3-2 victory over the Broncos. 

"It's either one pitch, one hit, one play that determines the game for us," said Jepsen. "That's how it's been."

Santa Clara has lost its last four games by at least seven runs. The Broncos' last win came on Feb. 10, when Santa Clara took down conference-rival Saint Mary's 12-10 in an offensive battle. 

"I was very happy that we fixed some of the mishaps we had in Fresno and played seven-innings," said Head Coach Lisa Mize. 

With four players batting over .280, it would appear as though the issue isn't on offense. Sophomore Stephanie Fisher is hitting a team-high .400, with senior Briana Knight trailing in her footsteps at .344. It's the six through nine hitters that are attempting to reach that level. 

"A lot of it's a confidence thing; a lot of it's just being more patient at the plate," said Mize, noting that some of them practiced on their own the day before the game against UC Davis.

But the poor record is a combination of inconsistent pitching and hitting, according to Jepsen.

The team is struggling to keep opponents from crossing home plate. Through the 11 games played thus far, the Broncos' pitching staff has given up 87 runs, while the hitters have driven in 28.

"For some reason, we just weren't having great at bats," said Jepsen, citing the outing against Davis as a prime example. 

UC Davis pitcher Justine Vela controlled the mound with a noteworthy 15 strikeouts. But Jepsen struggled to see why the Bronco's bats cooled off, stating that Vela was not "overpowering" them.

While the lineup was plagued with slow bats, Santa Clara pitcher Jessica Turner helped to improve the Broncos' cumulative earned run average of 10.51 by giving up only three runs in five innings. Prior to Turner's impressive showing, Mize held a conversation with the pitching staff, making it clear to them the importance of hitting their spots and keeping the team in the game for all seven innings.

"I was really happy she made the adjustments she needed to make," said Jepsen. 

And the adjustments are coming just at the right time. After tough competition riddled Santa Clara's schedule, the upcoming opponents are more on par with the Broncos' skill level, according to Mize. 

Santa Clara will kick off the PCSC Crossover Tournament held by Saint Mary's tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. against Seattle University.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852.