Swift bats, well-placed hits, and superb fielding allowed Elizabeth Residential College to defeat Regents 14-3 in intramural slow-pitch softball Tuesday night.
Elizabeth took an early lead in the first few innings.
Experience and communication gave Elizabeth an advantage over Regents said senior Greg Deahl who has played for the team for four years.
“We led most of the game; it really was because we had good crowd vibe,” Deahl said. “We were all just feeling it tonight.”
Great defensive plays by the Elizabeth team and a strong batting lineup gave them an early advantage over Regents with a 6-0 lead after the 1st inning. Deahl said, Elizabeth has practiced a total of three times and scrimmaged once in preparation for its first game.
“Right now our challenge is still feeling what position with who, but we are really starting to get the hang of it,” Deahl said. “I have great faith in this team this year. Most year’s returners have set positions, but right now we are still filling in freshmen getting the feel of it and everything.”
A well-placed hit by a Regents player in the second inning gave the Rhinos their first run. However, Elizabeth displayed its strong fielding experience throughout the game.
“I’ve been on this team for 4 years now, and we had quite a few returners this year actually,” Deahl said. “We also have a lot of good freshmen this year too.”
The Regents team rallied in the field but was unable to shut down the excellent Elizabeth offense. Deahl was complimentary of the Regents team.
“They played well,” Deahl said. “I’m proud of them. They kept their heads up and kept going no matter what happened to them.”
During the top of the fourth inning several well-placed balls down the third base line and fielding errors by Regents gave the team the opportunity to score two more runs widening the gap 10-2.
It was hard to tell if the players or the fans were having more fun. Elizabeth’s exuberant fan section kept the morale high as Elizabeth led the entire game.
“Lizo supports us no matter what, and we support our girls’ team,” Deahl said. “We show up to every game we can, so, it’s good to have them.”
Deahl said he thinks this intramural softball season looks promising.
“We just want to keep winning and playing well,” Deahl said. “As long as we are playing well, we can’t be mad.”
Elizabeth clinched the win 14-3 over Regents after the game was called in the fifth inning.
Story by Laura Kovarik, Staff writer