The Belles will look to get back to their winning ways with a double-header this afternoon against Goshen College. The Belles return from their spring training trip in Ft. Myers, Fla., with a 5-4 record, but they finished strong by winning four of their last five games.
After dropping three of four to begin the trip, the bats came alive as the Belles outscored their opponents 25-7 during their four-game winning streak. Unfortunately, the streak was broken in the final game of the trip as the Belles suffered a defeat at the hands of Medaille College.
Freshman pitcher McKenna Corrigan was touched up for five runs in four innings of work, but Bridget Grall held Medaille scoreless in the last two innings. Grall and Laura Heline had two hits each for an offense that was held scoreless on five hits.
The Belles are looking to repeat as MIAA champions, but the road ahead appears quite challenging. The Belles are returning only five players from last year's championship team, and the entire squad will have to make the transition under first-year coach Kristi Beechy.
The Belles lack a single senior on the roster, which means the five returning players will be expected to step up as leaders, especially when it comes to setting an example for the five freshmen. The schedule proves to be challenging as Tri-State University officially joined the MIAA this year. Even so, the Belles will certainly be up to the task of defending their Tournament title.
After taking on Goshen College tomorrow, the Belles will play two games before competing in the Trinity Invitational Tournament on April 2. The Belles will then go on to play fellow MIAA opponents in eight of their next ten games. If the Belles worked out all of the kinks on the spring trip, a quick start out of the gate will undoubtedly send the message to the rest of the conference that this year's team presents just as much of a challenge as last year's group.
