PREVIEW: Softball travels to Bowie State

Huskies now 1-3 after opening four games of play

Connor McKay, Sports Editor

The Bloomsburg University women’s softball team prepares for their upcoming doubleheader against Bowie State University on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Huskies will be traveling to Bowie, Maryland, where they will be facing the Bulldogs for a non-divisional set of games. The current overall standings for the teams have Bloomsburg University at a 1-3 overall record and a 2-7 record for Bowie State. Times for both games have been set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The Huskies will be looking for a chance to improve their record this weekend, as their last series of games resulted in a win and a loss. The 2020 season began in Hartsville, South Carolina where the hosting Coker University held the Coker University Spring Tournament. Coker University, the University of Mount Olive, Bloomsburg University, and others all competed during the weekend.

It was not a strong beginning for the season as the first day of competition resulted in two losses for the Huskies. In the first game against Mount Olive, the Huskies lost 4-3. Their following game against Coker University went worse as they fell to a 9-1 defeat.

On the second day of the tournament, the Huskies were finally able to capture their first win of the season against Fairmont State University for a 3-2 win. The game saw standout performances from Huskies like junior Abby Wild. Wild pitched 7.0 innings, allowed a mere two earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out six for the day.

In the second game against the University of Mont Olive, the Trojans managed to beat out the Huskies for a 7-5 win. Some stand out play makers for the Huskies were sophomore Sammi Star, and redshirt junior Nicolette Ray. Ray’s performance stood out from the three runs she dove in for the Huskies, while Star was an offensive force with a pair of doubles, three runs scored, and going 4-7. 

Their overall performance leaves much room for improvement against their competition this weekend. The set of games against Bowie State appears to be very winnable for the Huskies, as they lost their last three games. Their losing streak began on Feb. 23, where they lost to Kentucky State University 6-8. The losing streak continued that day as they then lost games to Tuskegee University and Miles College. In the game against Tuskegee, the game was ended in seven innings with a score of 7-11. In their following game against Miles College, the Bulldogs were decimated in a 0-10 loss. 

With the majority of their games being so close in score, the Huskies seem to have a real chance for a win this weekend. They have demonstrated offensive and defensive weapons that can prove to be real challenges for a team. The weather scheduled for Saturday is looking to be sunny with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 24 degrees. 

Despite not having the homefield advantage, the Huskies are looking to have a good day of play. If they can bring the endurance and playmaking they have demonstrated this year, they should be able to win.