Gauchos snuff out 'Yotes twice 9-0, 4-1
By Matt PetersenSports Editor, The VOICE
For one day at least, Glendale Community College softball showed what it's capable of.
The Gauchos' offense erupted for nine runs in the first inning against Chandler Gilbert last Thursday. That would be all the scoring they would need in the first game of their double-header, as Glendale would go on to shut out the Coyotes 9-0.
Photo by Matt Petersen/The VOICE
Freshman Whitley Cochran swings for a hit against Chandler-Gilbert.
"It was good to see them jump on them. I want them to try to score in more than one inning," coach Rebecca Schweitzer said.
The offensive outburst was especially impressive without leading hitter Jennifer Eberhardt available in the first game.
The second game was milder offensively, but yielded an equally important 4-1 victory as the Gauchos look to secure their playoff positioning.
Freshman Bridget Kratz went batted a total 5-for-5 in both games. First baseman Kyla Christmas blasted a solo home run, the last of Glendale's 13 total runs on the afternoon.
More important than the torrid offense was the Gauchos' improved defense, which had been their Achilles' heel leading up to Thursday's wins.
Freshmen Kirstin Linert pitched a complete game shutout in the first game, fanning ten batters three days after throwing a 16-strikeout no-hitter.
"They're really great hitters, I just feel like I was on top of my game today," Linert said.
"She's been mowing them down," Schweitzer said. "It's nice to get a strikeout when you really need one, especially when your defense is struggling."
The few times the Coyotes did make contact, the Glendale defense responded in what Schweitzer hopes will be a more consistent effort.
"It seems like we've had a lot of unearned runs lately, so it was nice to be able to play pretty well today [defensively]," Schweitzer said.
"That's what kills us in the games," second baseman Eberhardt said. "We need to have one or zero errors a game and keep hitting every inning."
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