The Belles' wishes have come true and the team now prepares to take on Calvin in the first round of the upcoming MIAA tournament. After Albion and Hope split a doubleheader Saturday, Saint Mary's locked up third place in the conference. The double elimination postseason tournament begins this Friday at 11 a.m. at Alma College. Earlier this year, the Belles won the first game of a doubleheader against Calvin, only to drop the second against the Knights. Calvin is 11-3 in the MIAA and 19-13 overall, but the Belles believe they have just as good of a chance in the tournament as anyone. "We are excited and pumped about achieving one of our team goals of making it to the tournament," Erin Sullivan said. "We are very confident in our chances of winning because we split with both Calvin and Albion, and we know that we can beat anyone by playing our game."On the season, the Belles finished with a conference record of 9-5, and two of the losses came at the hands of top-seeded Alma. The record was a great improvement to last year's 4-8 MIAA record. Angie Ellison ended the season leading the team in batting average and hits, with 36, while teammate Marnie Walsh drove in 16 runs. Pitcher Kate Sajewich finished with a 10-6 record, and Libby Wilhelmy recorded four shutout victories.Following Friday's morning game, Saint Mary's will take the field again at 3:30 or 5:30 p.m., depending on the earlier outcome. If the Belles win that next game, their season will resume Saturday afternoon.The Belles are not looking that far ahead. But with almost a week layoff since playing Kalamazoo, the Belles have been focusing hard on their next game. A major part of practice has been concentrated on hitting, an area the Belles have improved in since the beginning of the season. An 11-2 run in early April reflects the hitting improvement."[Practice] hasn't been too much different," Katrina Tebbe said. "We're working on doing the little things right and driving the ball hard."Understanding that two losses means the end of the season, Saint Mary's will lay it all on the line against Calvin this Friday.
