Story by Blake Bernier, Staff writer
Freshman Jordyn Thornell slides into home as junior Emily McFerron catches the ball on base.
The Alpha Omicron Pi A team improved its record to 3-0 Tuesday night, beating the Alpha Sigma Alpha A team Ladybugs.
During the game, AOPi collected 14 hits and five walks. They found an unorthodox way to score in the fifth inning, with the help of two errors, scoring a run without any hits.
“We want to hit,” said Mallory Warmack, junior from Morganfield, Kentucky. “Every time we want to hit, but you can’t hit a ball that isn’t pitched the right way because then you’re going to pop up or ground out.”
Entering her third year as third baseman for AOPi, Warmack from Morganfield, Kentucky, showed some skill and experience on a couple of hard hit balls.
There was a moment of confusion in the top and bottom of the second inning as both teams had runners called out at home. The intramural rules state that on any play at the plate the runner is required to slide. Both teams seemed unaware of this rule but both adjusted after the second inning calls.
Junior Nathan Leibering, an intramural supervisor, said the slide rule is in place to protect the players from collisions that could cause injury. He said another safety precaution the intramural office takes is providing the bats for the games to ensure they aren’t “hot” or “loaded” and are safe for play.
Director of Campus Recreation Steven Leitch said the ultimate goal of an intramural season is for everyone to be a winner and that can mean winning games or gaining time with friends.
Senior Kali Echols of AOPi said intramurals give her a chance to spend time with her sorority sisters and relive the glory days.
In the top of the third inning an AOPi runner slid into home and scored a run but left home plate with a bloody knee. Warmack said after they found out about the out at home rule the coach told them to slide on every play at home and it caused a few cuts and bruises but it was an adjustment they had to make.
The ASA Ladybugs had a couple of opportunities to get back into the game but the AOPi defense stepped up when it had to and made the plays to keep the threat to a minimum. In the fifth inning the ASA Ladybugs got back-to-back hits to begin the inning trailing 4-2 but were unable to bring any runners home.
AOPi got on the board first after loading the bases with two outs in the top of the first inning. Warmack singled into shallow left to score the teams first run.
In the second inning AOPi added two more runs after loading the bases again, this time with no outs. The slide rule negated another potential run for AOPi.
With the score 3-0, the ASA Ladybugs attempted a comeback in the bottom of the inning, but again the runner did not slide at home and was ruled out on the play.
During the top of the third inning, AOPi was able to string together five hits and scored one run to extend the lead to 4-0.
However, the ASA Ladybugs broke up the shutout by drawing their only two walks of the game and getting a hit to score the runner from second.
AOPi left the field with their third victory of the season dropping the ASA Ladybugs to 1-2.