Concordia University was taken to church on Sunday by Galveston College as the Whitecaps conducted yet another in a series of softball clinics and rolled over CU, 13-1 and 19-9, at the Lassie League Complex.
The Whitecaps improved to 15-1 on the season, won their eighth consecutive game and woke up on Monday with the No. 12 ranking in the nation among National Junior College Athletic Association Division I teams. During GC’s current winning streak, the Whitecaps have been fueled by their high-octane offense and outscored opponents 140-19.
“I’m very proud of how the team is playing this season and they’ve been playing hard in practice and during our games, and are deserving of the ranking,” said GC Athletic Director and Head Softball Coach, Kelly Raines. “Our pitching is doing well and our bats have been on fire. This is a fantastic start, but we need to keep up our intensity when we begin playing conference games because the season will get tougher.”
In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Whitecaps started with an eight-run first inning, added three more runs in the second and two in the fourth to win 13-1 in five innings.
GC freshman righty Jenna Johnston hurled three innings of three-hit ball and allowed CU’s only run of the game to claim the win and improve her record to 8-0. Fellow freshman righthander Kennadee Belnap came on in relief and tossed two innings of one-hit ball.
Offensively, Whitecaps left fielder Jessica Munro and third baseman Breigh Houser each went 3-for-4. Munro scored once and drove in two RBIs, while Houser scored twice and knocked in another two runs. Second baseman Samantha Gonzalez went 1-for-4 on a three-run homer. In addition to Gonzalez, Munro, Houser, Karlie Barba and Tallulah Civoniceva also hit round-trippers.
In the nightcap, GC’s pitching and defense were caught off guard for the first time in over two weeks. CU led off the game with a five-run first inning and knocked Whitecaps starting pitcher Karlie Barba out of the game.
Although GC answered with five runs of their own in the first to knot the game at 5-all, the visitors added three more in the second to take an 8-5 lead.
The Whitecaps finally got serious and exploded with a dozen runs in their half of the second frame to take a 17-8 lead, which they didn’t relinquish and went on to win the game, 19-9 in five innings.
GC’s pitching also settled down when freshman righthander Holly Luck took over in the first and pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief. She gave up four runs on eight hits and struck out a pair of opposing batters to win her first game of the season.
The Whitecaps’ offensive explosion included six home runs, two each by Munro and Barba. Ella Herrewig and Brooklyn Spencer hit one homer each. Barba drove in five runs with her pair of homers, while Munro knocked in four runs.
GC visits Navarro College on March 1 at 1 and 3:30 p.m. before returning home for a two-series set against Odessa College on March 2 and Western Texas College on March 4. Both home series will be played at 1 and 3:30 p.m. at the Lassie League Complex, located at 2506 83rd St. in Galveston. Games are free and open to the public.
For more information about the Galveston College Whitecaps softball program, rosters and season schedule, visit https://www.gcwhitecaps.com/landing/index.
ABOUT GALVESTON COLLEGE
Galveston College was founded in 1967 and is a comprehensive community college providing the residents of Galveston Island and the surrounding region with academic, workforce development, continuing education and community service programs.