By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
On the morning of February 20, Washburn University softball was 3-6, and now just over a week later the team is 12-6 after a five-game weekend.
The undefeated weekend gave the team a 10-game win streak, the longest since head coach Brenda Holaday took over in the 2017 season.
“I don’t know about the streak, I know it is fun to win and the kids enjoy that and it is contagious,” Holaday said. “I think the big thing with this team is no one person has to carry the load.”
The Ichabods went a perfect 5-0 in the Washburn Classic and outscored opponents 41-5 over the three days.
Washburn sophomore Jaycee Ginter had a Washburn Classic pitching and at the plate as the Ichabods went 5-0 to stretch their winning streak to 10 games. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The run started with a Friday doubleheader, the first game coming against Wayne State College, who jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning.
The Ichabods stayed patient at the plate, responding with a six-run first inning that included four walks and three hit batters.
“They handed us some runs with all of those walks but our kids were patient enough to wait for a good pitch and we got some timely hits,” Holaday said.
Senior Ashton Friend did not watch and wait in the second inning, hitting a solo home run over the left field wall. A sacrifice fly from Friend in the third and an ensuing throwing error scored the next two runs.
“Just trying to keep myself relaxed and not chasing after pitches is what has been key for me,” Friend said.
Sophomore Shawnee Heights product Jaycee Ginter started her big weekend with a solo shot in the third to make it a 10-1 game.
Ginter also worked the first four innings in the circle, allowing one run and striking out four while picking up the win.
Freshman Jaden LaBarge hit the first of her three weekend home runs in the fourth inning, picking up two RBI’s and extending the lead to 13-1.
Washburn's softball team huddles up on the mound to talk strategy in the Washburn Classic. The Ichabods went 5-0 to stretch their winning streak to 10 games. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
Sophomore Ashlie Thissen threw a scoreless fifth inning to finish the game with the same score.
Game two of the day was dominated by the pitching of senior Raegen Hamm, who bounced back from a slow start to the season to throw a complete-game shutout.
“We have been working and tweaking some things with Raegen, trying to help her get back in a groove and I was just so happy for her and proud of her to see her come back,” Holaday said.
Hamm struck out 14 of the 26 batters she faced, good for a new career high. That was accompanied by only allowing three hits and one walk.
“It feels really good, I just had to trust my coaches to get there,” Hamm said. “That’s what it came down to was my coaches and my teammates.”
Offensively Washburn managed only two hits in the game, the biggest coming from sophomore Hadley Kerschen in the third inning, knocking in sophomore Autymn Schreiner who walked three times in the game.
“I was kind of disappointed, I don’t think our kids adjusted very well … they were taking big long swings and big strides,” Holaday said. “Luckily we scored a run.”
One run was the closest deficit the Ichabods would have over the weekend as the team secured the 1-0 victory.
Game three of the weekend, against the University of Sioux Falls, was dominated by the long ball for Washburn, which hit three in the game.
First it was Kerschen, who singled to score sophomore Marrit Mead in the first inning.
In the second Ginter hit a deep shot to center field, the first of two hits for her in the game.
Ginter was just as good in the circle, throwing all five innings, allowing no runs and striking out nine batters.
“I thought she was better today, honestly,” Holaday said. “She has been working hard on just command and location of some of her pitches and I thought she was really smooth today.”
Friend picked up the next three RBI, first on a solo shot and then with a two-RBI single in the fifth, and she was driven home on a home run from LaBarge.
Junior Maddie Stipsits completed the scoring with a single to walk-off the game with an 8-0 run rule.
The combination of Friend and LaBarge stayed hot in game four, with Friend hitting a three-run home run in the first inning and LaBarge following her to make it back-to-back as the Ichabods jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead.
“This is probably one of the best hitting teams I have ever been on and it’s awesome to know the people in front of you are going to get on … and the people behind you are backing you up,” Friend said.
Hamm and Ginter combined to complete the game, with Hamm going three and a third, giving up two runs. Ginter finished the final three and two thirds, striking out seven and allowing no runs and picking up her ninth win of the season.
Schreiner, Stipsits, and sophomore Washburn Rural product Jenna Moore each had RBI singles in the game which went all seven and ended with an 8-2 victory for Washburn over the University of Minnesota Crookston.
“We know that we’ve got a deep team, and we’ve got a lot of kids that can do things for us and when we have several of them contribute for us in the same day it makes the games a lot easier,” Holaday said. “It’s a lot of fun right now.”
In the fifth and final game the Ichabods fell into an early 0-2 deficit after a double and an error. The offense responded quickly, with five hits all coming with two outs, scoring four in the first inning.
“I thought we were a little off of our game in the top of the first but in the end I’m not going to complain,” Holaday said. “I think our kids believe in our lineup. And you never want to start out behind but there’s no panic in that they know they have a lot of kids in the lineup that can hit.”
LaBarge, Ginter, Stipsits and sophomore Kimi Patterson each claimed an RBI in the inning. In the third Ginter would pick up another, on a solo home run, her third of the weekend.
“I felt more relaxed at the plate,” Ginter said. “Once the person in front of you does something good it just continues throughout the lineup.”
After the first inning Hamm settled in, going four innings, striking out four and allowing only the one earned run.
The Ichabods scored six in the fourth inning, Kerschen and Friend both knocked in one run and Ginter brought in two with a double.
RBI from freshman Rylee Seymour and sophomore Paige Robbins extended the lead to nine, allowing Thissen to end the game with a scoreless fifth inning, giving Washburn an 11-2 win and a ten game winning streak.
“It was really good, I’m glad we are finally coming together as a team and playing much better than we were at the start,” Ginter said. “It feels good and it motivates us to keep pushing.”
The perfect weekend keeps the Ichabods undefeated at Gahnstrom Field with a 9-0 record.
“The middle of our lineup was really good this weekend. I thought our pitching was really solid,” Holaday said. “When you get rolling like that it’s just one of those things where nobody has to do more than they can do.”
Washburn will play three more sets of games before the beginning of conference play, with the first coming Wednesday at Gahnstrom Field against Rockhurst University.
