8 games, 7 days for UIS women's softball team

By Micheal Fitzpatrick - Sports Reporter

Seven days and eight games was what the UIS women’s softball team had on their plates this week.  Coming off of a disappointing performance at the McKendree tournament, the Stars prepared themselves for conference rivals Harris Stowe on Tuesday.
In what seems to have been the best day of the season for softball so far, the Stars lost badly by a score of 6-0.  Thankfully they would have a chance to redeem themselves.  In game one, UIS couldn’t seem to put anything together as they totaled eight hits and left nine runners on base, a stat that would cost any team the game.  Unlike the Stars, Harris Stowe strung all their hits together at the right times, scoring six runs on 12 hits.  Leah Miller took the loss, giving up 12 hits with only four of the six runs earned. 
Hoping to redeem themselves in the second game, UIS knew they would need to come together to at least split the American Midwest Conference double header.  With freshman Brittany Shafer on the mound, the Stars limited Harris Stowe to six hits and two runs while scoring three on eight.  Freshman JoAnn Eddy led the team with two hits and two runs.  Early in the game Harris Stowe gained two runs, putting the pressure on UIS to play catch up. 
UIS countered in the third and fifth innings scoring one run each and tying the ball game up.  With the game on the line in the top of the seventh, Eddy once again came through in the clutch, hitting a double to the team in position to win the game.  After a runner advance off of a fielder’s choice, senior Chikayla Moss brought in the winning run with a sacrifice to center.
With less than 24 hours of rest, UIS headed back to the field to take on Culver Stockton for another doubleheader.  Game one started out particularly bad as they lost by a score of 12-1.  Nearly everyone on Culver Stockton’s roster having a hit, and sophomore Allie Leight took the loss after a difficult day on the mound.  Game two hoped to be much different than the first.  Miller once again took the mound for the second time in two days.  Unlike the performance the day before, Miller pitched exceptionally well, giving up only two hits and allowing no runs.  With that kind of pitching the Stars could do nothing else but win collecting six hits and three runs, taking the second game 3-0.
After two grueling doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Stars rested up on Thursday for their Friday game at Columbia University.  Taking on the powerhouse conference foes, UIS knew that they would need to bring their best game in order to take down Columbia.  Unfortunately this didn’t happen as they were swept straight losing 8-0 and then 6-1.  Both Miller and Schafer were saddled with the loss.
Coming back from their short road trip on Friday, UIS headed home for a Sunday doubleheader against Oklahoma City University.  Knowing that they had to pick up some wins in this next match-up to at least go .500 for the week, the Stars tried to play to the best of their ability but came up short.  In game one it seemed as if the team was tired and couldn’t put anything together as Oklahoma City easily disposed of them 7-3.  Game two was a different story.  “We knew that we had to pick up the win in game two, so we strung some hits together and worked more as a team unlike in game one,” said junior Angela Becker.  And they did just that, winning 8-2 with Leight picking up the win.

A tradition unlike any other delivers despite criticism

By Mark Brockett - Sports Reporter

In today’s world of professional golf, it is believed that the first major tournament of the year, The Masters, sets the standard for the highest achievement that one can attain. This past weekend, it was evident to all that watched how true that sentiment is.
With today’s golfers trying to emulate legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, and Sam Snead, The Masters gives the field a chance to make a name for themselves much like these legends have. While Tiger Woods is usually the odds on favorite to win in any major tournament, we sometimes find players who bring out their “A” games and give us the idea that they can certainly challenge to be the best golfer in the world.
Last Sunday proved that theory with everyone’s favorite hefty lefty, Phil Mickelson, winning his second Masters championship in three years and his second Major championship in a row (he won the PGA Championship last fall). Many in the media congratulate Mickelson for his win; they still believe it is a tainted win since he wasn’t challenged down the stretch by any of the big players, including Woods. It is wrong to blame someone who played the best golf out of anyone for the mistakes and misfortunes of others who couldn’t match his play. Skip Bayless, a former sports writer for the Chicago Tribune and current co-host of 1st and Ten on ESPN, wrote a column on ESPN.com Page 2 about how Mickelson’s championship should come with an “asterisk” since he didn’t have to beat Tiger Woods one on one on the final hole. In other words, if he doesn’t beat Tiger when the pressure is at its highest, then the victory is close to meaningless.
Perhaps if more players had converted more birdies and saved par when the opportunities arose, he would have had that chance to do so against not only Tiger, but others such as Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, and Retief Goosen.
At any rate, the tournament still delivered memorable moments outside of the champion’s play. The third round being postponed until early Sunday morning provided a challenge for every player to go through more than 18 holes in one day. Rocco Mediate posted a 10 on the 12th hole, one of the more difficult par 3’s on the course, causing many in the gallery and fans who were watching at home who enjoy playing the game on their own to feel better about their games which usually produce similar results.
The main thing to take away from this year’s Masters is that we certainly can never know what will happen throughout the four day tournament. The stakes are so high at Augusta National that every player in the world who dreams of making it big see their goals within reach and they lay it all on the line. Some succeed for the better, others fail for the worst. But, the thrill of the chase is what brings every player and fan back each April to witness the world’s greatest players duke it out for the right to be called Masters Champion. Yes, it truly is a tradition unlike any other. Take care and thanks for reading.

Women's tennis drops two tough matches

By Mark Brockett- Sports Reporter

With such a young, talented team, sometimes you can experience growing pains against more seasoned teams. This was the case this past weekend as the UIS women’s tennis team fell to Baker University 6-3 and the Bearcats of McKendree 8-1.
Freshman Christine Hoffman, the team’s top singles player, dropped both of her individual matches over the weekend as she was defeated 6-2, 6-3 by Baker’s Marti Edison and 6-2, 1-6 and 6-0 against McKendree’s Christine Betz. Freshman Ashley McGowan was very impressive in her match against Baker’s Danielle Cartier, winning 7-6, 6-1, continuing her success as the team’s no. 2 singles player. Against McKendree’s Jennifer Mennerick, McGowan didn’t find the right rhythm and ended up falling 6-3, 6-4.
In doubles action, UIS had more luck on their side as they took two of the three doubles contests. Hoffman and McGowan won a tight match 9-8 against Edison and Megan Lamb. Jennifer Cloyd and Jennifer Gebben were victorious over Cartier and Kelsey Stephens 8-1.
Against the Bearcats of McKendree, all of the doubles teams fell, most notably Hoffman and McGowan, who suffered a similar fate to which their Baker opponents did by the score of 9-8. In singles action, Gebben recorded the team’s lone victory over Sarah Dixon 6-2, 4-6 and 10-7.
After the two losses, the team’s record currently stands at 8-3. The next time the team will take the court will be against their own as they will take part in the UIS alumni match on April 21 at the UIS tennis courts. Many of the former tennis players will take part in this exhibition for bragging rights and connecting the past of UIS women’s tennis with the present and future. Coach Dominic Giacomini has said that there will be former players coming in from as far away as Alabama and that he hopes many members of the UIS community will attend.

Prairie Star of the Week keeping softball in contention

By Mark Brockett - Sports Reporter

 While the UIS women’s softball continues to get better each and every day collectively, individuals are starting to shine in their respective games. Over the last two weeks, sophomore pitcher Allie Light has been one of those players who have shined and helped put her team in position to win ball games.
Leight, originally from Johnsburg, Illinois, attended Johnsburg High School before being accepted to UIS to play softball in the fall of 2004. Last season, she was second on the team in innings pitched at 132.
In the second game of their double header against American Midwest Conference rival Missouri Baptist on March 31st, Leight shut down the Spartan’s offense by limiting them to two hits in six innings of work. She also struck out two in the game. That performance helped the Stars sweep the two game set and put them at 2-0 in the AMC.
This past week, Leight pitched a complete game against Oakland City where she gave up only two runs on seven hits and struck out one. The team went on to win the second game of the double header 8-2.
.As a capital scholar, she is pursuing a degree in Mathematics. Leight, along with the rest of the women’s softball team, will be looking for continued success the rest of the way, particularly in the AMC. Thanks to her play over the last two weeks, Allie Leight is your UIS Prairie Star of the Week.

8 games, 7 days for UIS women's softball team

A tradition unlike any other delivers despite criticism

Women's tennis drops two tough matches

Prairie Star of the week keeping softball in contention