The Colgate women’s softball team spent their spring break in Clearwater, Florida, competing with teams from around the nation at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex. The Raiders played a total of nine games over the week against a variety of intense foes. 

On the first day, the Raiders matched up against the Manhattan Mans and the Yale Bulldogs. Although the Raiders suffered a heartbreaking 7-4 loss to the Mans, they bounced back later that day and dished out a healthy defeat to the Bulldogs, winning 8-0. First-year pitcher Jessica Hay put forth a valiant performance as she recorded a four-hit shutout against Yale. In the same game, sophomore infielder Lauren La Terra, who is the current Patriot League Player of the Week, tallied four runs in the Raiders 8-0 victory over Yale.

Coming off their sweep against Yale, the Raiders faced Rutgers University  Wednesday, and, despite some hiccups during play, they came out on top with a 5-4 win. It was not until the top of the seventh that the Raiders finally broke out of the intense 3-3 tie that seemed to hold the game at a standstill; the runs came from first-year Jordan Miller and sophomore Pami White. After this close win, the Raiders got some much needed rest before an intense next couple of days. 

On Thursday, Colgate maintained its momentum against Monmouth with yet another victory, 6-5, that they achieved with a four-run sixth inning. Senior outfielder Kate Bushee led Colgate with a two-for-three showing, including a game-tying two runs in the sixth inning. Although the Raiders had gained momentum over the beginning part of the week, they were unable to keep it against North Florida, who dismantled Colgate on Friday, resulting in an 11-1 loss. To the credit of the Raiders, they shook off this tough loss and saddled up for their next afternoon match against Florida A&M. 

The Raiders’ success stemmed from their impressive three-run in the sixth inning and back-to-back shutout innings, which allowed them to maintain their lead going into the remaining frames. 

Despite their bounce back from their 11-1 loss to North Florida during the Florida A&M game, the Raiders came out of the gate very slow Saturday, losing to both Fairfield (2-3) and Chattanooga (10-0). Although the Raiders looked great at the beginning of the week, their scoring opportunities dwindled against both of these opponents. The Raiders concluded the tournament on a great note, defeating Yale 18-2 on Sunday, which marked the most runs scored in a single game since 1998. The win moved the team’s overall record to 7-13.

Next up, the team will travel to West Point, N.Y. for a doubleheader against Army West Point on Saturday, March 24. While the Raiders  had a turbulent time down in the Sunshine state, they look to keep their heads up as they approach the second half of their season. The Raiders will hopefully learn from their previous shortcomings and work on consistently  getting on base and tallying runs. This game against Army could vey well determine how the rest of the Raider season will go.