Temperatures were chilly at the intramural softball championships Tuesday night. Women of Alpha Sigma Alpha took on the Springer-Franklin A team and the men of Sigma Chi took on the Thoroughmeds.
The women kicked off the night at 8 p.m., and solid defense by both ASA and Springer-Franklin led to three scoreless innings. Each well-placed hit was matched with superb fielding.
“Getting hits together to score a run was the biggest challenge,” ASA player Whitney Wasko said. “The other team played really well. They had really good hitters and really good defense so we had to produce some runs on our own.”
Wasko scored the single run of the night for ASA, giving them the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning. A wild throw home by the Springer-Franklin shortstop allowed Wasko to safely slide into home.
The turning point in the game came when an ASA player hit a double during the fourth inning.
“We’ve just been playing every game like it’s our last,” Wasko said. “Earlier today we played a really close game to make it to the championships. So I think that boosted our morale.”
Springer-Franklin rallied in the top of the fifth and sixth innings but was unable to score a run.
Wasko credits the win to ASA’s communication and perseverance.
“You just have to have communication and you have to trust that your teammates are going to pick it up and be behind you,” Wasko said.
ASA was able to finish the season undefeated. ASA remained consistent throughout the night and took advantage of the few errors made by Springer-Franklin players.
The men’s championship game followed the women at 9 p.m. as the Sigma Chi fraternity took on the Thoroughmeds.
Great fielding held the game scoreless until the bottom of the third inning. A bobble by the Thoroughmeds’ third baseman left the bases loaded with one out. A rip down the third base line by Sigma Chi gave the fraternity their first run of the night.
Another solid hit into left field allowed the Sigma Chi runner on third to tag up and make it into home. The bottom of the third inning ended with Sigma Chi leading 2-0.
Junior Sigma Chi player Peter Tompkins credited the success of the team to their chemistry on the field.
“We’ve only practiced a few times,” Tompkins said. “We play really well together, we are all fraternity brothers.”
The Thoroughmeds rallied in the fourth inning but were unable to score a run. Solid fielding by the Thoroughmeds prevented Sigma Chi from scoring any more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Thoroughmeds scored two runs during the top of the fifth thanks to a well-hit ball into leftfield. Sigma Chi rallied in the bottom of the fifth and scored two more runs thanks to a well placed hit in left centerfield. The score was 4-2 after the bottom of the fifth inning.
“I thought they did really well, they did an excellent job hitting the ball and staying with us to the very end,” Tompkins said.
A valiant last effort by the Thoroughmeds proved unsuccessful as the game ended after the top of the sixth inning 4-2.
The championship games concluded the intramural softball season. The intramural flag football league begins Oct. 22.
Laura Kovarik, Staff Writer