Softball squad sweeps Jackson College

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor 

The LCC softball team gave an exceptional batting showcase, dominating a pair of games against Jackson College on Thursday, March 21 in Jackson.

LCC won the first game 13-0 in five innings and won the second game 5-1.

The wins improved LCC’s record to 8-10 on the season and pushed its win streak to six.

Despite the win streak, LCC Head Coach Marc Kibby said the team has not hit its stride yet.

“We have a lot more to give,” Kibby said. “We’re just getting started.”

In the first game, freshman Kyra Shadduck pitched her eighth game of the season and gave up no runs while recording two strikeouts.

The Stars showed a strong display of batting with sophomore Aliyah Holman leading the charge. She had three hits, with two of them being doubles, and had three RBIs. Sophomore Madison Travis and Shadduck followed with two hits and three RBIs each for LCC.

Holman stayed on fire at the plate in the second game, recording three hits for the Stars. Sophomore Jenna Morse contributed a total of five RBIs over both games.

Pitching for the Stars in the second game was sophomore Kelsey Merillat. She struck out nine of the 27 batters she faced, only giving up one run.

Sophomore Paige Antcliff agreed with Kibby, saying the team has not hit its stride.

“We still have a ton to work on and get better at, although I think we have progressed during this streak,” Antcliff said.

Kibby said that he tries to stay with a consistent pitching rotation and batting lineup as much as he can as the Stars head into conference play.

“I’m a firm believer that athletes are pretty superstitious in how things work, so I try to stay consistent,” Kibby said. “And then you have to learn how to filter in the rest of it.”

Kibby said the women have been swinging the bats well, and they have been putting extra hours in practice to refine their batting.

Antcliff said softball takes great focus.

“A lot of the focus comes individually when preparing to step up to the plate or preparing for a ball to get hit to you in the field,” Antcliff said. “But we also have each other’s backs.”

LCC’s next game was scheduled for today (Friday, March 22) against Lake Michigan College but has been postponed due to the weather. Those games have been rescheduled for Sunday, March 24, at Municipal Park beginning at 2 p.m.

The Stars are also scheduled to play on the road Saturday, March 23 against Marian University Ancilla.

Kibby said he has been anticipating conference play and is excited to see what the sternest competition will be this year.

“I’m kind of interested to see Lake Michigan and also Glen Oaks, to see where we stack up with them and evaluate their talent,” Kibby said.