Representing the six-seed in the ODAC Tournament, the Panther Softball battled against three-seed Randolph-Macon in the first round and two-seed Bridgewater in the loser’s bracket of POD 2, dropping both.
Head Coach Joshua Freeman acknowledged that the final D-III team in Ferrum’s softball history making the playoffs moves the program in the right direction.
“Making the tournament and playing well in it lets the players enjoy the hard work and being good teammates,” he said.
After the original start date for the tournament–Sat., May 3, was a wash due to rain, the team was set to play Randolph-Macon the following day.
The Yellow Jackets got on the board first, in the bottom of the second, and added another run in the third.
In the top of the sixth, Ferrum was able to cut the lead in half after first-year Mirenda Shields’ two-out single, scoring sophomore Kaylee Hughes.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Panther defense was plagued by errors and killed with small-ball offense.
Randolph-Macon would score four runs on zero hits in the sixth. Ferrum made four errors in the inning.
After not being able to answer in the seventh, the Panthers fell to the loser’s bracket of POD 2, losing 6-1.
After the loss, Freeman spoke with his team to not let the loss dampen their energy for game two.
“To keep their heads up, and that we don’t usually make those mistakes, and let’s go take game two,” he said.
On the other side of the pod, Bridgewater was upset by seven-seed Roanoke.
So in a survive-and-advance game, there was a battle in the circle.
Bridgewater struck early on a two-run triple in the first.
Those runs would be the final runs scored for the entirety of the game.
After the first inning, Ferrum’s pitchers–first years Emily Wood and Amber Greiner–didn’t let up another run and held the Eagles to one hit the remainder of the game.
Bridgewater’s starter threw a complete game, holding the Panther offense to three hits in what would be the final game of Ferrum’s season, losing 2-0.
Freeman said he was pleased with how the team performed in the tournament.
“We faced two fantastic pitchers, and we were a hit away from tying or beating them multiple times,” he said. “We just couldn’t get that hit.”
As the D-III chapter of Ferrum softball ends, the new beginning of the transition to D-II is here.
Panther athletics will be competing in Conference Carolinas next academic school year.
With the transition, Freeman said he is going to try and get the best possible softball players to come to campus.
Panther softball was filled with young players, but Freeman thinks this year’s team had a big impact on the future of the program.
“I think the culture and work ethic of this year’s team is setting up next year and the years to come to have success,” he said.
