Day 1 Thoughts

Some thoughts concerning Friday's first round of games at the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals:

• For our own ETBU Tigers, this team is very confident in its ability to score big and score late. There was no sign of panic when Moravian jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead Friday, maybe a few nerves and jitters, but certainly no panic. When Meghan Fisher's home run left the yard in the fourth, you could almost hear a big exhale from everyone on ETBU's side. From that point the Tigers outscored the Greyhounds 6-1.
• The two ETBU pitchers, Ayrika Henderson and Alicia Wright, have each other's backs. If you remember if was Wright who came in Monday's game late and saved the regional championship in a game Henderson gutted out for five innings. The big senior righty returned the favor Friday night, taking the ball from Wright over the final two-plus innings and allowing just one hit while fanning four.
• ETBU seniors Adrienne Meier and Stacy Havner were a combined 5 for 8 with 5 RBI Friday night. Anyone who tells you senior leadership is overrated, is most likely staying at home this weekend.
• Linfield is a scary, scary team. The team that handed ETBU its final loss to the 2009 season, a heartbreaking 2-1 come-from-behind win at the Taylor Field regional last May, leads the nation in homers and blasted three more (giving them a D-III record 77 in 2010) in rallying past a very good Luther team earlier Friday.
• After coughing up its lead to ETBU Friday night, Moravian could get the unlucky chore of facing Eastern Connecticut State ace Molly Rathbun Saturday. Rathbun missed ECSU's 8-0 loss to Christopher Newport Friday, remaining at the hotel while fighting the flu. She is only 27-1 with a nation-best 0.61 ERA entering the World Series.
• Don't let the Tigers' 4-2 win over Christopher Newport back in March fool you. The Captains were one of the best teams at the Leadoff Classic and outside of Louisiana College beating ETBU in the finals of that tournament, gave the Tigers their biggest challenge of the weekend. They are a good, fundamentally-sound softball team and will be a tough out Saturday.

On to day two. Go Tigers!