This past weekend, VWC Softball hosted the 15th annual Beach Blast Tournament at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex (PAAC).
The Marlin’s Beach Blast Tournament included twenty teams such as No. 6 Manhattanville, Randolph Macon College and Case Western Reserve along with numerous teams up the East Coast.
The teams that traveled to Virginia Beach were welcomed with colder weather than expected, but all battled the elements. Many teams opened their 2017 campaigns on the turf fields of the PAAC.
Fans flocked to the fields to watch their favorite teams compete. Marlin fans were able to watch their team win all four games and outscore opponents 33-5.
The Marlins did extremely well throughout the entire tournament as they were able to use each player’s talents to secure their wins. Hanna Hull continued her dominance on the mound by throwing nine innings over the weekend and having 13 strikeouts. Alana Peters also impressed with eight strikeouts in five innings of work. Courtney Wright earned the victories over Western Connecticut State and Keuka with seven strikeouts in seven innings of work, which included a combined perfect game with Kasey Newcomb against Western Connecticut State over the busy weekend.
The Marlins got on the board first and never looked back as Wright and Kasey combined to face the minimum of 15 Western Connecticut State hitters en route to a perfect game and a 10-0 victory.
Richardson led things off with a single and then added to her ODAC stolen-base lead with a swipe of second. She came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Madison Glaubke for a 1-0 lead.The Marlin offense was able to put up three runs in the second, third and fourth innings to pull away.
Beth Ford and Elizabeth Bailey both had runs batted in (RBI) in the second inning as the Marlins before a Jessica Lindsay homer in the third staked VWC a 5-0 lead. Another Ford single scored Meghan Meindl. Richardson was at first base after a single that advanced Ford to third and the duo pulled off a double steal as Ford crossed the plate for a 7-0 lead. Glaubke and Meindl both had RBI in the fourth inning to put the game away.
Wright pitched four innings, striking out four and not walking a batter to earn the win. Newcomb pitched a perfect fifth inning to seal the Marlin victory and preserve the perfect game.
Cassetty Howerin and Amy Large showed off their hitting capabilities with their back-to-back home runs that put their team in the lead in the game against Keuka, which resulted in a 11-0 Marlin victory.
Kierston Richardson, named ODAC Player of the week, gave a brief explanation of the team’s goals as they went into the tournament.
“Our team had little expectations going into the tournament except just simply playing our game. We knew that if we played well and how we know how to play we would end up with four wins.”
That is precisely what the Marlins accomplished during the weekend tournament. They came out on top with four wins and a final sweeping the last day of the tournament with a 3-0 victory over nationally ranked Manhattanville.
After a successful presentation at the Beach Blast Tournament, the Marlins are prepared for the doubleheader against William Peace on Tuesday at 2 p.m.
“As a team, we had a great weekend across the board. But the most important game is the next one and that’s William Peace, and as long as we play together and do what we all know how to do then the outcome should speak for itself,” Large said.
The Marlins showed dominance as they swept William Peace in a 4-0 and 8-0 win with Hull throwing a no-hitter in the first contest. The No. 6 Marlins also faced No. 10 Christopher Newport University and split a doubleheader with them, which was their first loss of the season and brought their record to 17-1.
The Marlins plan to continue their hard work as they enter the rest of their season.
“The tournament really showed us what we were capable of and it gave the team so much confidence as we are continuing to move forward,” Richardson said.
Brianna Clarkson
bnclarkson@vwc.edu
Luke Chiasson
lachiasson@vwc.edu
