It was a deep fly ball to centerfield that seemed to turn the momentum in favor of the Bowdoin softball team for the remainder of its spring trip in sunny Florida.
Things were starting to look grim for the Polar Bears after losing three of their first four games on the trip. Their bats had stayed quiet and the competition had proved to be formidable. However, in their fifth game, in the bottom of the third inning with a 0-0 score against a tough SUNY New Paltz team, first year Hillary Smyth made a play on that fly ball to deep center that gave the Polar Bears some needed hope. After sprinting back towards the warning track, Smyth reached up and made an incredible catch, holding onto the ball even after crashing into the wall and knocking it over. Bowdoin went on to beat New Paltz 5-4, and after the game, the Polar Bears continued their momentum, finishing the spring trip with a record of 11-5.
Following the lead of 2008 second-team all-NESCAC selection Kaitee Daley '09, the Polar Bears hit for an average of .317. Despite a sprained ankle suffered midway through the trip, Daley batted an impressive .586 and stole nine bases in just ten games. Seven other Polar Bears hit better than .300 on the trip, while junior Clare Ronan led the team with two home runs and 12 RBIs. Shortstop Shavonne Lord '10 posted the high mark for runs with 10. Lord batted .400 and had a strong .500 on-base percentage. First year Courtney Colantuno also provided the Polar Bears with some important hits throughout the trip.
The warm weather also proved to be accommodating for the Bowdoin pitching staff. In 16 games, the pitchers held three teams to no runs and allowed only one run in three other games. Behind junior pitcher Julia Jacobs' 1.08 ERA, the Polar Bears posted a cumulative 1.48 ERA. Jacobs went 3-2 with 23 strikeouts on the trip. Kara Nilan '11 not only hit .394 at the plate, but also led the team in wins (4), strikeouts (36), fewest hits allowed (16), and was second only to Jacobs with a 1.35 ERA.
Although all of the spring trip games counted towards the regular season record, Coach Ryan Sullivan also wanted to find the best arrangements in the field.
"With double headers every day, everyone got to move around," Colantuno said. "We played well and it was a lot of fun."
Despite having a worse record than previous spring trips, "everyone was happy with how we played," Nilan said.
Winning 10 of their last 12 games gives the Polar Bears the confidence they need to begin their NESCAC schedule. This weekend the softball team will travel to Hartford, Connecticut to take on the Trinity Bantams in their first three conference games.
"We should do really well and hopefully everyone stays healthy," Nilan said. "We're getting better."