Duhawks gain experience in TucsonSeniors shine despite 3-5 finish at invitational

by Frank Fernandez | sportswriterThe Duhawks traveled to Ari-

zona for the Tucson Invitational Games, where they would take part in eight games over the week-end.

After opening the weekend on a two-game winning streak, Loras (5-7) dropped five of their next six games to finish 3-5 in Arizona.

The Duhawks opened play against the Baldwin Wallace Yel-low Jackets in a Thursday morn-ing matchup. Senior ace Holly Klein dominated on the mound early, with the Duhawks defense helping her out. In the third in-ning, the Yellow Jackets had a runner on second and were look-ing to strike first. With one out, the runner took off for third but senior catcher Nora Zerante cut her down. The Duhawks held Baldwin Wallace hitless for the rest of the game.

Still scoreless heading into the seventh, the Duhawks knew that they needed their offense to come up big. With runners on the cor-ners and one out, sophomore Cate Paulsen stepped up to the plate. After a perfect bunt and an error, both runners came across the plate to give the Duhawks the 2-0 lead. Junior Julie Kistner padded the lead with an rbi single and the game headed to the final half with Loras on top 3-0. Holly Klein re-turned to the mound and complet-ed her shutout performance with a 1-2-3 inning and the Duhawks took this game, 3-0.

The Duhawks started day two with an early morning matchup against Cedar Crest. Another com-plete-game pitching performance, this time by junior Makaila Haase, and explosive bats led the Du-hawks to a 10-1 victory.

Head Coach Ashley Winter was excited to see the pitching domi-nance the Duhawks displayed in their first two games.

“Our pitching really set the tone for the rest of the game, those kind of performances are going to help us as we move forward,” Winter said.

However, the Duhawks pitching and offense had no answer in their next two games, falling to Alfred

and Staten Island, 12-5 and 8-0, respectively.

Day three began with a morn-ing matchup against the Edge-wood Eagles. The Duhawks took the lead early with an rbi single by freshman Regan Wolverton, holding a 1-0 lead after the first. The lead didn’t last, as Edgewood responded with six runs in the second. The Eagles offense con-tinued their onslaught, ending in a 16-5 win.

In game two, the Duhawks had a rematch with the Alfred College Saxons. After scoring in the open-ing frame, the Saxons held the 1-0 lead until the fourth. Senior Katie Serpico came to the plate for the Duhawks with the bases loaded and blasted a pitch over the left field fence for her first grand slam of the season. With the slam, the Duhawks took a 4-1 lead.

Unfortunately for the Duhawks, they could not hold onto their lead. The Saxons pushed across four runs over the next four in-nings and took the 5-4 lead into the seventh inning. After an in-surance run in the top half, the Saxons led 6-4 as the Duhawks looked to extend the contest. De-spite their best efforts, the offense could not get anything going and Loras fell, 6-4.

The final day of competition brought two more games, the first against the Marian Sabres. Klein returned to the mound and struck out a season-high six batters. Her second complete game shutout of the weekend, along with time-ly hitting on offense, allowed the Duhawks to take game one, 4-0.

Game two was a rematch with the Edgewood Eagles, looking to avenge their loss on Friday. A shaky start allowed the Eagles to hold a 4-0 heading into the fifth, with the Duhawks desperate for offense. With two on, Wolverton stepped up and drove in a run to cut the lead to three. However, the Eagles were able to push their lead back to four and hold off a

rally, ending the game 5-1. The Duhawks completed the weekend with a 3-5 re-

cord, pushing their overall record to 5-7. With five days off now, the Duhawks have time to prepare for a trip to Mount Vernon on Friday. Loras will take on Cornell College in a doubleheader, starting at 4 p.m.

Sports The Lorian March 19, 2015 7

photo courtesy of Jim naprstekSenior Katie Serpico makes contact from the plate during the Duhawks’ eight-game weekend in Tucson, AZ. Despite her offensive struggles so far this season, the senior leader has still been able to get on base. Serpico’s .483 on-base-percentage is second on the team.

Loras 3, Baldwin Wallace 0(Thursday, March 12th)

r h eLoras ...................000 000 3 3 3 1Baldwin ..............000 000 0 0 3 2Loras: Julie Kistner — 1-3, rbiBaldwin: S. Bennett — 1-2WP: Holly Klein — 7.0 ip, 0 er, so, bbLP: S. Dostall — 7.0 ip, 2 er, 9 so, 3 bb

Loras 10, Cedar Crest 1(Friday, March 13th)

r h eLoras ................... 042 04 10 9 1Cedar Crest ....... 010 00 1 4 4Loras: Wolverton — 2-4, rbi, runCedar Crest: Kaylee Martinez — 2-3WP: Makaila Haase — 5.0 ip, 1 er, 3 so, 2 bbLP: Amanda Kustanbauter — 2.0 ip, 3 bb, so

edgewood 5, Loras 1(Sunday, March 15th)

r h eLoras ...................000 010 0 1 4 2Edgewood ...........120 110 x 5 8 1Loras: Regan Wolverton — 1-4, rbiEdgewood: Clark — 2-4, rbiWP: Klossner — 6.2 ip, er, 3 so, 6 bbLP: Makaila Haase — 0.1 ip, er, 2 bb

Loras 4, marian 0(Sunday, March 15th)

r h eMarian................000 000 0 0 3 2Loras .................... 101 200 x 4 12 1Loras: Katie Serpico — 2-3, rbiMarian: D. Oronzo — 1-3WP: Holly Klein — 7.0 ip, 0 er, 6 so, 1 bbLP: Gorges — 6.0 ip, 3 er, 6 so, 0 bb

alfred 6, Loras 4(Saturday, March 14th)

Stats not available.

staten island 8, Loras 0(Friday, March 13th)

Stats not available.

alfred 12, Loras 5(Friday, March 13th)

Stats not available.

(Saturday, March 14th)Stats not available.

edgewood 16, Loras 5

dreW’s VieWs

FORE!

Drew Brashawasst. sports editor

Spring is in the air in the Midwest.

It’s that special time of the year when we pretend to enjoy yardwork and basketball, and when Cubs fans can still harbor some delusional hope for their inevitably doomed season. More importantly, the changing of seasons means it’s time to dust off the golf clubs after a long winter’s rest.

For many, golf is a fun and gratifying activity filled with challenges and excitement. For some, however, it’s nothing more than an expensive exercise in futility and frustration. Countless beginners abandon the game far too quickly for one simple reason: the game of golf is insanely difficult. A seemingly endless succession of terrible shots with no positive results in sight can quickly drain the fun from the game and drive newbies off the course for good.

Don’t give up: I’m here to help.While I have absolutely nothing to offer in terms of

improving your technical skills, I can definitely help make your round of golf more enjoyable. As a learned expert in fun and a longtime practitioner of bad golf, I have a few tips that will help even the most hopeless hookers and slicers have a good time playing bad golf.

Before you can go out and start flailing away, you have to choose the proper companions for your round. Personally, I prefer to play alone, but I understand that some people have friends with whom they enjoy playing, and I think that’s terrific. A bad group can ruin a perfectly good round of bad golf, and one bad member can ruin the whole group. Here are a few notorious archetypes to avoid when filling out your foursome:

The Tour Pro Poser – Dressed to the nines in the latest golf fashion, and outfitted with a brand new set of state-of-the-art irons, the Tour Pro Poser takes his game very seriously. He knows all the moves. The TPP can often be found hovering over his ball for excruciating periods of time before a shot, carefully contemplating his club selection while meticulously accounting for lie, distance, wind, elevation, barometric pressure, dew point, UV index, the Earth’s rotation, and El Nino. When the TPP fails to achieve the perfection expected of someone so well-dressed and well-equipped, he exhibits his displeasure through high-decibel, expletive-laden self-reprimand, while mashing the head of his $500 driver into the turf.

The Swing Coach – This helpful chap generously doles out unsolicited advice to improve the game of anyone polite enough to listen. He’s read Ben Hogan’s book, and perhaps he’s even taken a lesson himself, making him an unquestionable authority on technique. The Swing Coach knows exactly what you’re doing wrong, and is more than willing to correct your swing at every possible opportunity.

The Rules Official – Did you notice that you just grounded your clubhead in the bunker? The Rules Official did, and he’s about to sternly inform you that such an action is in direct violation of Rule 13-4, and you have just incurred a one-stroke penalty. Armed with a vigilant eye, a comprehensive knowledge of the USGA rulebook, and a firm grip on the scorecard, the Rules Official regards the integrity of the sport above all else, especially fun.

After choosing an appropriate playing group, it’s time to hit the links. Leave the pencil and scorecard at the clubhouse; this isn’t math class. Keeping score will only serve as a numerical quantification of how lousy you really are. Forget the rulebook as well--we definitely won’t need it.

The first tee sets the tone for the entire round, and a bad opening drive can start you down the cart path to destruction. I subscribe to the “hit until you’re happy” school of thought when it comes to the first tee (although the group waiting to tee off behind you might not). This method will not only help you get loose, but it will give you a chance to see which direction your hopelessly errant shots will be spraying for the rest of the day. Plan accordingly.

I’ve established already that golf, as laid out by its creators and governing bodies, is not for everyone. Some folks have to change the game completely to make it palatable. I encourage you to contort the game of golf and its rules in any manner you see fit. Be creative. Hunter S. Thompson liked to play a game called “shotgun golf,” (it’s just what it sounds like). Gamble with your friends, and drive the golf cart like you stole it.

If willful violation of longstanding rules, gambling, and reckless operation of small motor vehicles are still not enough to salvage your round, do what most golfers do: drink until you don’t care. Independent studies have shown that the consumption of cold beer, (by golfers of legal drinking age, in a totally responsible, non-bingey manner), can aid drastically in the disremembering of poor shots, and leave the golfer with a positive impression of his outing.

Bombs away.

Tucson Invitational(March 12-15)