AACC Softball Closes Season with Record High

The following article was submitted to the Broadneck Patch by Duane Herr, who works closely with the athletics department at  (AACC).

AACC women’s softball team played the final two games of their regular season schedule on Saturday.

Riding a six-game win streak, the Pioneers traveled to Garrett College and swept a Maryland Junior College Athletic Association (JUCO) conference doubleheader, winning 12-0 and 14-3. The wins improved their standing to 37-8 overall and 20-2 in the conference, placing them in second at the season’s end.

AACC softball concluded its regular season with the most wins for an AACC softball team in the last ten seasons. The 2003 National Championship team also posted a 37-win season including playoff games.

pitched game one for the Pioneers, hurling a one-hit shutout while striking out 11. Nescio went two-for-four at the plate with a double, a pair of runs batted in and a run scored. Courtney Strambler went three-for-four with three RBI and two runs scored. Jennifer Newman collected two hits, scored twice and added an RBI. Shelby Smith, Darah Lamarsh, Amberly Holcomb and Liz Cox each had one hit in the game. Cox and Lamarsh scored twice, Holcomb scored once and had an RBI and Smith scored a run.

The bats were alive in game two as well as the Pioneers scored 14 runs to easily win 14-3. Lamarsh went three-for-three with two runs and two RBI. Strambler continued a solid day adding two more hits, two runs and another RBI. Holcomb was two-for-three with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Liz Cox added two hits including a double, scored a run and batted in three runs. Cox pitched three innings of no hit ball and struck out four. Megan Kegley delivered the long ball homering for the Pioneers.

Nescio ends the regular season with an astonishing 28-3 record an ERA of 1.174 and 289 strikeouts. Nescio is also one of five Pioneers batting over .375 this season as she finishes with a .483 average. Darah Lamarsh finishes with a .404 average, Shelby Smith at .392, Janie Thrift .386 and Jennifer Newman finishes with .375.

The regular season may be over for AACC, but the post-season games are right around the corner as the Pioneers will be competing for a Region 20 title, May 5 and 6 on their home field.

Duane Herr is physical education and athletics assistant at AACC. You can contact him at dpherr@aacc.edu.