TMP-Marian softball ties season-low for runs scored in win
By CONOR NICHOLL
Head coach Alan Billinger summarized his feelings on the Thomas More Prep-Marian's softball team's play Thursday afternoon against Colby with one word.
Disappointment.
The Monarchs delivered a sub-standard performance in a 2-1 win in Game 1 on Senior Day at TMP field. Game 2 was canceled after one and a half innings because of lightning.
TMP-Marian, the defending Class 4A state champion, finished the regular season with an 18-1 record, the best regular season winning percentage in Monarch softball history.
However, another uneven performance on an overcast day trumped the milestone.
"Our hitting was so far off tonight," Billinger said. "I don't feel like (starter) Maddie (Holub) did a good job of pitching tonight. Nothing was working. The whole atmosphere, I have said this before, this team just does not appear to be hungry this year."
TMP-Marian's performance was the last game before the Class 3A regional starts Monday.
The Monarchs are the top seed and will have a first round bye in the Larned regional. They will play the winner of Hoisington and Holcomb, both 5-13, in a 4:45 p.m. start on Monday.
TMP-Marian, which has reached the state tournament every year since 2003, don't look like a team prepared for the postseason, Billinger said.
"I just don't think this is building the type of momentum and the attitude that we need going into the regionals," he said.
The Monarchs tied a season-low in runs scored against Colby. However, these two runs came against much different competition.
On April 3, TMP-Marian lost 6-2 to Great Bend, arguably 5A's best team and the Western Athletic Conference champion.
Colby entered Thursday with an 18-1 record against inferior competition. Its one defeat was against Goodland, which TMP-Marian beat 16-0, 16-0 last Friday and Hays High run-ruled earlier this spring. In 2007, the Monarchs beat Colby three times, including once by run rule and outscored the Eagles 27-2.
A year later, TMP-Marian mustered just four hits and managed just seven baserunners against Eagle senior starter Logan Wark. Her pitches had little movement, but she benefited from an unusually large strike zone and kept TMP-Marian off-balance with a fastball and changeup.
"I think there were some that probably could have gone both ways," Billinger said with a smile. "I kept asking the catcher, 'was that a strike?' The girls thought so, too. They would come back and (say) 'It was outside,' but called a strike. Some of the strikeouts may not have been just their fault."
However, the Monarchs, at times, didn't have good plate discipline nor strong hitting mechanics. Several hitters dropped their shoulders, popped the ball up, or didn't swing in favorable counts like 3-1, counts that Billinger calls "a hitter's delight." TMP-Marian struck out six times and had three infield popups. Several of the few well-struck balls were right at Colby fielders.
"The one thing that she had was pretty good control," Billinger said. "She was nipping the corners and it seemed like we were in that old form again where we let the good pitch go by and then we swung at the bad one. We had so many outs popping the ball up swinging at high balls again.
"A couple of the girls, I felt got a little anxious tonight," he added. "They went after about anything instead of going after the good pitch."
An offense that entered the game batting .423 and averaging 11.6 runs a game didn't score past the third inning. They hit .191 versus Colby.
"It seems like when we face a little pitching, we don't hit as well," Billinger said. "That is not the way it should be. We should be able to make those adjustments. I am real disappointed in the way we played tonight."
TMP-Marian scored a run in the first when sophomore Kaylee Hoffman doubled to left-center and stole third. Senior Chelsea Fieler next hit a fly ball to left that freshman Brittany Bange dropped. They scored again in the second on an RBI single from junior left fielder Heidi Fieler.
Holub struck out 12 in six innings, but allowed a run in the sixth and had the tying run in scoring position. Hoffman relieved her in the seventh and earned the save.
"I was watching Maddie's ball movement and it just wasn't there, she didn't have it tonight," Billinger said.
Just like the Monarchs' offense.
