Piedmont College softball fans can follow the team's trip to the 2010 NCAA National Tournament in Newport News, VA through senior MIchelle Crandall's daily blog. Michelle will be blogging to provide PC fans an insider's perspective on the team's trip.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Even though BJ fouled a ball off the bat hitting her forehead in our game against CNU on Thursday, leaving a huge knot, she was still able to pitch a great game for us today against Frostburg State University. To lighten the mood around the team, we even gave a nickname to the knot on her forehead -- Daryl. During such a pressure filled game, it definitely helped keep us relaxed and ready to play. Despite all of our hard work and even though we never gave up, we took a tough lost to Frostburg this afternoon. It was a very emotional end to the season. However we are very proud of what we have accomplished. The team can only grow from here because the future looks bright since there is a lot of talent coming back next year. Thank you all for experiencing this journey with our team during regionals!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Today we discovered there were a few more rules to the tournament regarding the logos. We were only allowed to bring Dasani water and Vitamin Water into the dugout. The facilities at Christopher Newport are very well equipped and everyone has been welcoming. This afternoon we played CNU and after putting up a tough fight, we lost 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th on a walk-off single. Before we left, Emily realized she forgot her jacket in the dugout and the fence had already been locked. Our athletic trainer Matt put on a display of his athletic ability by jumping over the fence to get it for her. However on his jump back over the fence he lost his balance and gracefully recovered his fall in front of the team and oncoming traffic. It really did lighten the mood after a rough loss. We then headed to dinner at a local pizza place called Vinny's where the food and service was awesome! We play at noon tomorrow against Frostburg State from Maryland, and we're looking to seal our first win in the tournament!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
We started our day by practicing from eleven to twelve on the campus of CNU. We were glad to have practice time on their field so we could adjust for the game tomorrow afternoon. Practice went well and we're ready to get this tournament started! Afterward, we took a trip to Virginia Beach for some fun in the sun and shopping on the strip. We headed back to the hotel to clean up, grab a quick shower, and then decided to try out some sushi for dinner. As bad as raw fish sounds, it actually tasted pretty good. Even though we were two minutes from our hotel, our van driver Matthew McKinney (Assistant Athletic Trainer) took twenty minutes to get back due to a couple wrong turns! But, with a few u-turns, we finally made it to the hotel safe and sound. We will be facing some tough competition tomorrow afternoon, but we look forward to our first game of the NCAA tournament!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
We left for Virgina this afternoon and our flight went smoothly without any delays and thankfully our luggage made it safely to Newport News on time. We departed from campus at 9:00 AM in order to make our 2:00 PM flight out of Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Once we made it to the hotel after picking up two 15-passenger vans, we had some free time to eat dinner together and go bowling. We are looking forward to practice tomorrow morning at eleven to prepare for Thursday's game against CNU. We found out today that apparently we cannot wear any advertisement logos on our clothing while practicing, so hopefully everyone has brought proper attire.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Today, we found out that we will be playing in Newport News, Virginia for the regional and starting off the tournament against host Christopher Newport University. We continued to work hard at practice to get ready to play, even though rain kept us off the field and moved us into the indoor practice facility. Afterward, we had a big discussion about whether to drive or fly up to Virginia. We made the decision to fly, and now all that's left to do is figure out how to pack all of our stuff into just two bags apiece!
