Softball Splits Monday Games Against #8 St. Cloud

Softball Splits Monday Games Against #8 St. Cloud

Nick Balmanno, Contributing Writer

After going more than a week without playing a softball game due to numerous weather-related postponements, the Golden Rams, who were recently ranked #9 in Division 3 NJCAA softball, finally took the field again on Monday in in their home opener against #8 St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC). This doubleheader was originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 5th, but was postponed because of rain. The Golden Rams started slow on Monday, but ultimately split the doubleheader 1-1 with SCTCC.

Windy conditions impacted both games, with the wind blowing in from left center field. The Golden Rams started game one with a number of defensive errors and struggled to score runs. Anoka-Ramsey ultimately gave up 7 runs in the first three innings, mostly on defensive errors in the infield. Molly Gross was the starting pitcher who recorded the loss, striking out six while allowing ten hits. Gross’s pitching improved in the later frames of the game, but unfortunately it was too late for the Golden Rams to catch up. With the loss, Molly Gross moves to 5-3 on the year. At the plate, Emma Bright was 3-4 with a double. Marissa Kerry was 2-3 and Lyla Galli was 1-3 with a home run. The Golden Rams played better in the later innings, but couldn’t score enough runs to come back, with a final score of 8-2.

After a rough first game, the Golden Rams bounced back in a huge way in their second game, as they added two early runs. Lyla Galli was the starting pitcher, and despite only recording three strikeouts, she was extremely effective, only allowing three hits and generating a lot of pop ups and weakly hit balls. Lyla Galli and the defense behind her would go on to shut out the Cyclones of SCTCC. With the win, Lyla Galli improves to 4-4 on the year. From the plate, a number of players contributed, including Marissa Kerry, who stayed hot, going 2-3 with two RBI’s. Lyla Galli was 1-2 with an RBI double. Sunny Strait was 1-4, but she made her hit count, as she blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth to wrap up the game early. It was a great way for the Golden Rams to bounce back, and a huge win as they defeated #8 St. Cloud Technical and Community College 9-0 in five innings.

After splitting the double-header with the Cyclones, the Golden Rams are now 13-10 on the season. Anoka-Ramsey was scheduled to play Ridgewater College on Tuesday, but the game has been postponed due to rain. Head coach Dave Alto was impressed with the fight of his team, especially after struggling so much in the first game. When asked about his team’s performance today, he said that he was “happy to get a split after dropping game one the way we did” and that he was “very proud of how [the team] battled and fought back in game two”.