SMC SOFTBALL: Belles searching for win MIAA win
By SARAH RYKOWSKI
Sports Writer
The Belles travel to Olivet today to face the Lady Comets in a race to climb out of the basement of the MIAA.
The Belles are 0-6 in conference play, still looking for their first win, and the Lady Comets are looking for their second win to boost their record from 1-7.
"I think that we are going to win tomorrow," Belles catcher Kristin Martin said. "We've had some mistakes and some bad times and this might be the game where it all comes together."
Over the last few weeks, the Belles have indeed struggled to put a winning game on the boards. After entering conference play with a 5-4 record, the Belles have lost their last six games, usually in one or two innings.
Martin and her teammates have been working on communication and also improving the fine points of their game in preparation for the rest of their matches.
"We need to talk more on the field," Martin said. "From where we were in the beginning of the year, we communicate more. When we talk and communicate we do a lot better."
Martin, one of the three senior captains for the Belles, also said that the team has been working on different techniques to stop opposing teams from pulling away with a string of runs in one or two innings, a problem that has plagued the Belles since the beginning of the season.
Saint Mary's is also working on creating a string of runs for themselves.
"There are spots in our game we need to hit and we are hitting them," Martin said. "One of the things [head coach John Ganeff] had us work on is hitting to different places to get our people around. Once we manage that it will really make a difference."
Martin spoke about Saturday's game against Alma, the first home conference game for Saint Mary's as an example of the techniques the team is refining during practice.
"They had one girl that was a really good hitter," Martin said. "We pitched differently to her to make it harder for her to hit."
Last year, Olivet defeated Saint Mary's 4-2, 7-5, at Saint Mary's.
The Lady Comets are coached by James Knight. The seniorless Olivet squad is led by sophomore pitcher Stacey Dulinski, who has pitched all but one game for the Lady Comets, including the team's only conference win, a 2-0 victory over Kalamazoo.
Contact Sarah Rykowski at ryko2948@saintmarys.edu.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, April 17, 2002
