Charlene Belew
Sports Editor
Cameron’s softball team kicked off their season at the Henderson State Festival on Feb. 1 in Arkadelphia, Ark.
By the end of the Festival, the Aggies managed to drop their first two games against Ouachita Baptist (3-6) and Henderson State (6-10), but they came back strong in the final match against Delta State (6-4).
Head softball coach Rodney DeLong said that although they lost the first two games of the festival, he still believes that they have a strong team.
“We didn’t play really well, but I felt like we beat a really good team in our third game,” DeLong said. “We [have] a few adjustments we’ll have to make, but I think we have a good team.”
During the first game against Ouachita Baptist, the Black and Gold fell with a score of 3-6, despite leading going to the bottom of the seventh.
Ouachita had an early 2-0 lead in the second. Cameron came back in the fifth inning, pulling the score to a two-run tie. Freshman left fielder Breezy McComas hit a homerun, bringing junior center fielder Misty Dooley in to score with her.
In the seventh, junior designated hitter Tara Martini pulled a double, allowing sophomore pinch runner Makenzie Burk to score. However, the Tigers took home the win after four more runs.
In the second game against the Henderson State Reddies, CU softball saw another loss, 6-10, after tying the game 4-4, heading into the bottom of the third.
HSU scored one run in the first and three in the second before Cameron pulled out a four-run third inning. Sophomore first baseman Sonora Zukerman doubled, driving Martini and sophomore second baseman Macy McKay in for the score. Later in the third, junior third baseman Emily Nix hit a homerun, bringing Zukerman into home with her.
The Reddies pulled ahead in the bottom of the third. They carried on into the fourth, bringing the score to 4-10.
The Lady Aggies scored once in the top of the fifth when Martini hit another homerun. In the sixth, sophomore pinch runner Samantha Rousey scored off of Martini’s sacrifice hit. This brought the final score to 6-10.
In the third game against Delta State, Cameron brought in a win with a score of 6-4. The Black and Gold started with a strong lead and were able to hold off a late rally by the Lady Statesman.
In the top of the first, McComas scored off of Zukerman’s groundout to first. Nix also hit a single, allowing Dooley a score.
The Lady Aggies continued their lead in the second when freshman right fielder Kolbee Gray scored because of McComas’s walk to first. Sophomore shortstop Carly Allerheiligen scored off of Dooley’s single. Finally, Martini brought McKay into score. DSU pulled out one score in the bottom of the second.
Cameron scored again in the top of the fifth, when Allerheiligen drove Nix home. This brought the score to 6-1.
The Lady Statesman rallied in the bottom of the seventh with three runs, but it still was not enough to take the win from Cameron.
DeLong said that he believes that the team will continue to get better and that provides the motivation for them to get better.
“[You’ve] got to play every game. You’ve got to be prepared for every game,” DeLong said. “We beat the best team there, we probably lost to the worst team there, [but] we’re good enough to beat anybody.”
The softball team will face Rogers State University on Feb. 11 at the McMahon Field and Athletics Center.