Sports

Lady Rams softball splits with Delta State

• With the SIAC Spring Championships beginning Thursday, Albany State plays two strong tune-up games Monday vs. No .1 Delta State.

Danny Aller

ALBANY — If practice makes perfect, the Albany State softball team is nearly there.

Undefeated at 14-0 in the SIAC and taking the No. 1 seed into the start of Thursday’s Spring Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Lady Rams played in a pair non-conference games Monday against Gulf South Conference No. 1 Delta State, winning Game 1, but dropping Game 2.

But although the matchup was glorified practice for the Albany State as it gets set to defending its SIAC Championship at the 2008 Spring Championships, ASU coach Robert Skinner said Monday was the tune-up his team needed for the SIAC tournament — even if no conference foe has stepped up to the plate and beaten the Lady Rams (30-20) this year.

“Everyone’s healthy right now, we’re hitting the ball well and it’s just good for us to cross over and play a strong team like Delta State,” said Skinner, whose team won Game 1, 6-2, thanks to another stellar outing by ace Mindy Mager, but then lost Game 2, 9-1, when Delta State’s Kate Moreland shut down the Lady Rams. “Basically what happened (Monday) was that we threw our No. 1 in the first game to get a win, and they threw their No. 1 in the second game to get a win. And both girls were great.”

Mager especially.

The Lady Rams star not only takes an undefeated record into the Spring Championships, she hasn’t given up more than one run to an SIAC opponent all season.

“We’re looking strong in conference this year again,” said Skinner, whose team’s regular-season schedule won’t be finished after this weekend’s SIAC Championships as the Lady Rams will close out next week against non-conference foes Valdosta State, Rollins College and Georgia Southwestern. “We wanted to play a few matches after the SIACs because I have a feeling we’ll make it to regionals. And I don’t want us sitting around for three weeks while we’re waiting for it to begin.”

On Monday, the Lady Rams did anything but sit around, especially in Game 1, which featured no errors in the field during a five-hit performance from Mager, who got run support from heavy-hitter Alyssa Spellman’s 2-for-3 outing. Kandis Tate also had a good afternoon in Game 1 for ASU, going 2-for-2 with a home run.

But according to Skinner, as the day drug on and the temperature got cooler, so did his team.

“All the credit to (Kate Moreland): She’s a great pitcher and she shut us down,” said Skinner of the Game 2 loss. “But we’re just not a cold-weather team, and when those temps dropped, we started making errors.”

Four, to be exact, in Game 2, compared with none in Game 1.

Skinner said that as long as the Lady Rams can cut down on mistakes like that come Thursday, he likes his team’s chances to defend their SIAC title.

“I feel good about it” the coach said. “Now we just have to go over to (Alabama) and take care of business.”

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