Harper drops two to arch rival College of Dupage
If anybody believes in bad omens it might be first-year Harper College (2-20-1) softball coach Brenda James after it was swept in a double-header by visiting College of DuPage on Tuesday.
Minutes before game time James had to delay her meeting with the umpires. Starting freshman catcher Paige Hoppe (Fremd) hurt her jaw in warm-ups and Katie Carlson had to be inserted into the lineup as a last-minute replacement.
COD (14-13) packed its hitting shoes as it pounded 14 hits, including an inside-the-park home run when a 16-1 win in five innings was out of reach against Harper starter freshman Becky Koeune (Palatine). To make things worse the shorthanded Hawks committed five errors.
The only Harper bright spot came when Alyssa Collins (Prospect) had an RBI double that scored Lisa Burmeister in the fifth inning.
Game 2 saw the Hawks fare no better as COD earned a 13-2 win in five innings. The Hawks would score their only runs on a wild pitch and Brea Blount's RBI single.
The Hawks play Madison College (4-18-1) on Saturday in a doubleheader. The winner will most certainly host the play-in game of the regional tournament on May 4.
COD plays No. 9-ranked Rock Valley on Friday.