Someone once said you can’t win them all, and the University High softball learned that Friday.
The Hawks jumped out to a promising start with a 9-5 victory in the first game of a doubleheader against Oak Glen, but fell apart as the night wore on, taking a 13-7 loss in the final matchup, at Mylan Park.
UHS assistant Barry Kolar pinpointed his team’s effort at the plate as the differentiating factor from game one to game two.
“The first game we hit the ball better,” said Kolar. “The second game we hit the ball, but it went to right field.”
The bats were swinging solidly for the Hawks in the opening contest, and despite a sluggish start the Hawks combined for seven runs in the third and fourth innings to jump to a 7-1 lead on their way to a solid win.
The Hawks were paced by Halei Johnson and Layne Assif with two hits each in the first game, while Lou Kisner also stepped up with a big hit to earn three RBI’s for UHS. Hayden Powroznik secured the win from the mound for UHS, striking out four batters.
Whatever momentum the Hawks had created dried up during the break, however, as the Hawks opened the second game with an error-filled first inning which put them in a deep hole.
“The first inning of the second game, we had three errors, they scored five unearned runs. If it wasn’t for that, we would have been right in it,” Kolar said.
From there the Hawks faltered even further, giving up an additional six runs in the fourth inning en route to the loss. Johnson took the loss on the mound for UHS, struggling to find her rhythm as she gave up eight earned runs while nine Oak Glen batters recorded hits.
“This team is still switching around and struggling a little bit,” Hawks head coach Mindy Parks said. “We’re still trying to figure them out midseason.”
Perhaps most frustrating about the loss for Parks is that she sees the capabilities of her squad, but the consistency is yet to come.
“I’m happy with the performance, but I’m also disappointed because I don’t think this team is showing how good they actually are,” she said. “They have a lot more potential than their record shows, and I think that’s my main frustration right now.”
Parks hopes that her team can build upon a positive batting performance and a strong infield lineup to carry them to success down the home stretch of the season.
“They did hit well. Right now, they just have to figure out their role on their team as far as switching positions; the whole infield was different today, and the infield looked good,” she said. “I think we’re still just trying to figure them out a little bit. We can only go up from here.”
