By Pat Tintle
Staff Writer
After going winless in Philadelphia and dropping both decisions to Little Three rival Canisius, the softball team will now head to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for a doubleheader against George Washington (16-17, 3-3).
Head Coach Mike Threehouse admitted his team needs to match the Colonials offensively.
“Over the past couple of years they’ve (George Washington) been able to hit,” Threehouse said. “We haven’t been matching up well with good offensive teams, but our job is to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can. If we come up with some big hits, we have a shot to win the games.”
After having their first home game rained out against the Binghamton Bearcats, the Bonnies (5-29, 2-10) will host their first home contest on Tuesday, April 16 with a doubleheader against Buffalo. They’ll follow that with another doubleheader the next day against Binghamton.
“Playing at home is a big deal,” Threehouse said. “But whether you’re playing at home or on the road, you have to play good softball.”
The Bonnies have played 34 straight games on the road.
“Playing so many games on the road, and playing at the level that we have, I’ve got to hand it to them,” Threehouse said. “Any student athlete knows that being on the road so much is not good for anybody. But this team has stuck it out. Without any complaint, they go out there and play hard.”
Tuesday, the Bonnies traveled to Buffalo to take on Canisius in a two-game set. Freshman pitcher Carly Bilchak got the ball against the Golden Griffins and pitched four scoreless innings, but a late game rally led to a 7-4 Canisius victory.
“We’re just too inconsistent,” Coach Mike Threehouse said. “We had a good four-inning stretch against Canisius with Carly Bilchak pitching, then all of a sudden we couldn’t get anyone out. It’s definitely a team issue, it’s not just one person.”
Bilchak finished the game with five innings pitched, five earned runs and gave up 10 hits.
The young pitching staff, featuring two freshmen and one sophomore, has struggled all season. Their combined 6.74 ERA reflects the inexperience and inconsistency of the Bonnies’ pitching, according to Threehouse.
“All three pitchers are struggling,” said Threehouse. “The later the game goes the more tense we have to get. It doesn’t matter who’s winning in the fourth inning, it matters who’s winning in the seventh.”
In the second game against Canisius, sophomore Grace Rooney, normally the third baseman, got the start pitcher to prevent a two-game sweep. Despite Rooney going six innings with no earned runs, the Bonnies’ defense committed five errors to give the Golden Griffins a 4-2 win.
“What works for Grace is her attitude,” said Threehouse. “Grace isn’t a Division 1 pitcher, and she knows it. She’s out there because we asked her to do it and she’s willing to do it. She has the understanding that ‘if I play hard enough, I’ll have a chance to win,’ and she pitched her heart out.”
Rooney was asked in the beginning of the season to, if needed, help with the young pitching staff, Threehouse said.
“She’s the player that every coach looks for,” said Threehouse.
