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Junior pitcher Kierra Goos aims to strike out a Montana State University Billings batter. Goos struck out four while allowing five walks.
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Sophomore catcher Madi Moore catches and returns a pitch in front of the umpire. Moore got six players out in the game’s five innings.
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Goos and junior pitcher Jalin Lavers dap each other up on the pitcher’s mound. Goos and Lavers alternated as pitchers during the game.
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Sophomore infielder Dalaney Anderson intercepts a pop fly in the outfield. The softball team won by mercy rule shortly after.
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Goos breaks huddle near the end of the first half of the game. Goos scored three hitless innings during the game.
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Anderson finds herself in the middle of the huddle before the beginning of another inning. Earlier in the game, Anderson had scored a two-run double in the third inning.
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Senior infielder Kate Ediger prepares herself to step up as the next batter. Ediger started the second inning off with a solo home run.
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Freshman infielder Kaylee Hampton swings on a pitch at the tail end of the game. By the end of the game, Washburn amassed a total of 15 runs on 17 hits.
On Friday, Feb. 20, Washburn won against Montana State University Billings, with an impressive 15-0 score. The game ended early in the fifth inning due to a run-ruling, otherwise known as a mercy ruling, as a result of the Ichabods high-scoring early game.
When asked about the team, head coach Brenda Holaday first and foremost reflected on its players.
“We have great kids, and I think we all enjoy being around each other. We all enjoy the game of softball, we all want to push ourselves to see how good this program can be. And everybody’s competitive, but we’re competitive in the right way, I think. Everybody supports each other,” Holaday said.
One of the biggest highlights of the game was sophomore outfielder Makenzie Sais’ performance. In the fourth inning, Sais stole her 34th base of the season, shattering the single-season stolen bases record held by Torrie Beauchamp since 1999.
“At the end of the day, I’m just trying to help my team get in a better position to score,” Sais said.
Sais broke this record in just the fourth week of the season.
“Any time you break a school record, it’s a big deal, and to break it in your fourth week into the season is pretty phenomenal,” Holaday said. “And the reason she [Sais] is able to do it is exactly the reason she said. She doesn’t focus on the record, or how many stolen bases, she’s just trying to put us in a position to score runs.”
In 30 at-bats, not a single Ichabod struck out. Junior pitcher Kierra Goos also put up an impressive performance, going three innings without a single hit. Junior pitcher Jalin Lavers took over the last two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. In the end, MSU-Billings hit only once before a devastating 15-0 shutout.
Fans were eager to see the Ichabods run so far ahead against MSBU during this historical Friday night for Washburn University Athletics. Ichabods will have their next home game against Northeastern State University on March 13.
Edited by Stuti Khadka and Ojashwi Shrestha
