Corsair Softball Team Falls to Moorpark Raiders 11-0

Morgan Newton #7 (R) Santa Monica College Corsair softball player sliding to second base with Moorpark College Raiders #8 Alahna Long (L) waiting for the ball for missed out on Tuesday March 30 in John Adams Middle School at Santa Monica, Calif. (Danilo Perez | The Corsair)

On Tuesday, March 30, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Women's softball team took on the Moorpark College Raiders at John Adams Middle School (JAMS). In only their second home game within the last two years, the SMC Corsairs lost 11-0 in five innings.

Chris Druckman, Head Coach of SMC's softball team, believed her players came out flatter and less energetic than usual before Tuesday's game.

"We just weren't coming in as hot and confident as we have in the past," said Druckman. "That's the biggest thing we need to work on."said Druckman.

Despite the loss against their conference rival, Druckman still believes the Corsairs are progressing as their season goes on.

"The score's not a reflection of how the girls feel because every game we're getting better," said Druckman. "We still haven't won but the girls are very positive, they're looking to make the changes for the next game and that's all you can ask for as a coach."

Druckman also mentioned that the team was unable to practice on Monday because of rain, but she was not convinced that this had a sizeable effect on the outcome of Tuesday's game. On the other hand,The Corsairs were missing an impact player and that made a difference according to Druckman.

"Missing Malia [Comay], our third-basemen, was a big loss," said Druckman. "She's got a big stick too."

Druckman mentioned that she teaches her players to learn how to play multiple positions at once, but when players shift positions, the cohesiveness and flow of the team is affected.

"Today was just a very mentally draining game." said SMC Middle-Infielder Rafaela Reyes post-game. The freshman graphic design major tweaked her knee during the game, as she has not gotten used to playing at JAMS. Traditional baseball and softball fields are played on grass and dirt, but the field at JAMS is made of artificial turf.

"I guess I have to invest in some turf shoes because my cleats do be getting stuck in the fake grass, but you know we make it work somehow," said Reyes. "It's not the cleats it's the player."

Playing on turf fields can be difficult for players like Reyes.

"I struggle playing on this field, I've always played on dirt." said Reyes.

The next softball home will take place on Tuesday, April 5 at 2:30 p.m. The SMC Corsairs will take on one of their conference rivals, the Allan Hancock College Bulldogs. The remainder of the softball Spring 2022 schedule can be viewed on the SMC Athletic's webpage.

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