Losers of six straight entering Tuesday night’s game against the University of Detroit Mercy Titans, the Elon University softball team showed no mercy, winning 9-1 in six innings to earn its first win since Feb. 25.
For sophomore third baseman Allee Seering, the win against the Titans was important to help build momentum for Elon’s first Colonial Athletic Association series looming this weekend against Stony Brook University
“It feels amazing,” Seering said. “It’s going to bring the energy going into conference play. It sets the tone.”
Seering got the scoring started for Elon in the bottom of the first inning. After a one-out walk by senior right fielder Drew Menscer, Seering blasted the first pitch of her at-bat to deep left field. With some help from a strong gust of wind, the ball sailed over the fence to put the Phoenix ahead 2-0.
It was Seering’s third home run of the season, which ties her for the most on the team. She said she wanted to provide the Phoenix with an early spark.
“Right away when I saw the pitch, I wanted to attack it,” Seering said. “I wanted to bring the energy to start the game.”
Senior catcher Carley Davis said the Seering home run infused Elon with the energy it needed to secure its first win in 10 days.
“Allee set the tone for the rest of the day,” Davis said. “She’s been working hard and doing really well this season so we all just piggybacked off her energy.”
Seering has taken the place of junior Gabi Schaal, who has yet to play in 2023 due to a knee injury that also cost her the final 13 games of last season, at third base for the Phoenix. In addition to her home run tally, Seering has eight RBIs on the season, which ranks second on the team.
While Elon misses Schaal’s bat in the lineup, head coach Kathy Bocock said Seering has become a stalwart player for the team.
“Allee’s a player,” Bocock said. “She can play anywhere, she’s such a good athlete. Allee provides a lot for us. She’s smart, she can run bases, she’s got speed for us. She adds a lot to this team.”
Elon built on Seering’s home run in each of the next three innings, as the Phoenix scored in each frame to build an 8-1 lead. Needing just one run in the bottom of the sixth to win by the eight-run rule, senior shortstop Bella Devesa laid down a bunt with the hope of advancing Davis from first to second base.
After fielding the ball, Detroit Mercy’s pitcher overthrew the first baseman. With the ball dribbling into foul territory, Davis made a dash for home plate to try for the winning run.
“We were pushing for that one run. We were going to do whatever it took to get that one run to end the game,” Davis said. “I saw the ball go over the first baseman’s head and I just kept running. I saw Coach Bo waving me around and I kept going.”
Davis slid into home plate just in time to beat the throw from Detroit Mercy’s first baseman, ending the game. After a difficult stretch of games, Davis said Elon can look at this performance as motivation for the rest of the season.
“We’ve played some really hard teams recently and we haven’t done very well against them,” Davis said. “I feel like this game showed what our offense can do and what our pitchers can do.”
Elon’s nine runs were a season high, as the Phoenix tallied eight hits and put another seven runners on base via walks. Six Elon hitters registered at least one RBI, with Seering and sophomore designated player Kaitlyn Wells racking up two apiece.
“We were attacking pitches rather than being on the defensive side,” Davis said. “We all waited for our pitch, and if we didn’t get it, we walked or made something else happen.”
Sophomores McKenna McCard and Taylor Cherry, both of whom have dealt with injuries throughout the first month of Elon’s season, pitched all six innings for the Phoenix. McCard tossed three no-hit innings, while Cherry allowed just one hit – a solo home run to lead off the fourth – in her three frames of action.
“They did a nice job,” Bocock said. “We had them out there so they could see some live batters. It was good seeing them out there,” Bocock said.
With the losing streak now behind them, Bocock said the team can turn its attention to the start of conference play this weekend.
“It’ll help them lift their heads up a little bit,” Bocock said. “They’re ready for conference.”