Senior Meghan Gendron pitched three innings to win her first career game 9-1 in a mercy-rule-shortened triumph over Mississippi Valley State in the Vikings’ home opener at Erv Lind Stadium Tuesday.
“It was great. It was a pretty nice day at Erv Lind,” said head coach Amy Hayes. “We were a little overshadowed by the basketball game, but that’s fine. I wish those guys all the best. I’m so glad they won. We’ll take second fiddle to a conference championship any day. But it is great to be home.”
Freshman shortstop and team co-captain Arielle Wiser also had a big day, going 2-3 with four RBIs. Jamee Rauch, Jana Rae Slayton and Brandi Scoggins all went 2-3, with Scoggins and Slayton each collecting two RBIs.
Gendron pitched three scoreless innings, striking out five while allowing two hits and no walks.
Besides Gendron earning her first win, perhaps the most encouraging sign was the continued emergence of Wiser. Starting out the year hitting in the nine hole-the last hitter in the lineup-Wiser has earned the number two slot with improved hitting.
On the year, Wiser is hitting .311 with 10 RBIs. She has struck out only seven times and is second on the team in assists, with 45.
“She’s got good composure and she works hard,” Hayes said. “She’s such a consistent player and she’s a nice contact hitter and she can get the bunt down. She’s really the optimal number two in the batting order.”
The Vikings are home for nine of their next 11 games, after opening the season with five straight road tournaments. Hayes said it is a relief to be home for a long stretch after the rigors of traveling for the last month and a half.
“It’s nice to be able to sleep in your own bed for more than two nights, because that’s really all we’ve had,” she said. “I think we actually looked a little tired. That was a pretty tough road trip-that last one. You hit the fifth one and it’s hard.”
Despite being fatigued, the team managed to knock timely hits, something it had been unable to do last weekend at the UNLV Invitational. The Vikings lost three of five games in Las Vegas, but still managed to defeat Southern Utah twice.
“We kind of found our niche as far as the infield and what is our most solid defense. We’re hitting the ball really, really well, but I think we were just missing the key hits,” Hayes said. “I think UNLV, we outhit them 12-5 and we lost. That’s hard to swallow.”
Still, the lineup is starting to solidify, and Hayes said she is pleased with where the team is at heading into conference play.
“I think we’re starting to play better. I think that we’re going to have a couple positions where we’ll continue having kids coming in and out of it,” she said. “Right field and (designated player), possibly left (field). We have a lot of kids who are qualified and we want to get kids some time.”
The Vikings face two teams this weekend: Northern Illinois and a rematch against Mississippi Valley State. Northern Illinois is led by head coach Lindsay Chouinard, a former DePaul coach who Hayes expects to help improve the program.
Northern Illinois has played just eight games because of inclement weather, and Hayes said she does not know much about them yet. The Huskies were scheduled to appear in a tournament in Louisville against some strong competition, but it was rained out.
“They really haven’t played anybody that strong yet,” she said. “But I think Northern Illinois always puts a good team together. I’m from Illinois originally, so I feel like I at least know them and the school. They have a new young coach who coached at DePaul. She’s going to definitely help step up that program.”
Hayes also praised Mississippi Valley State, identifying the Delta Devils’ speed and power as keys to their game.
“They won their conference four out of the last five years, I think,” Hayes said. “We hope to just play well at home.”
The Vikings play Northern Illinois at 4 p.m. Friday and take on Mississippi Valley State Saturday at 11 a.m. Both games will be at Erv Lind Stadium.
Hayes Q and A
More on the emergence of freshman Arielle Wiser:
She’s doing an outstanding job. She was actually voted on as one of the team captains this year, which I think speaks volumes for her as a freshman. She started out in the nine slot, and that kind of let her get her feet wet.
You play Oregon State twice in the next 11 games. Is the team excited to have an opportunity to extend your Pac-10 winning streak (wins over University of Washington and Oregon recently):
I wouldn’t say we put our best foot forward the last time we played them. We didn’t play that well against them that day. They were on. They were rolling. But it’s always a good matchup, and we always have a lot of respect for the Oregon State Beavers. But we want to be the number one team in the state.
You said you were doing a little recruiting recently. Is in-state recruiting a priority?:
I just went out and watched a high school game the other night. We have a couple of 2009s who have verbaled to us already. We’ve got a couple of California kids, but I do like to stay in the Northwest. And I think Hawaii is a really good bed for softball. But we definitely want to keep the local kids local. Because, one, it’s a great opportunity for them to stay close to home and play ball and their families can come out and watch them.