by Mackenzie McMahon

The Hope College softball team bounced back from a first game loss in their double header series with Defiance College on Saturday. 

The Flying Dutch moves to 1-1 this season. 

After a 5-9 loss in the first game, Hope powered back with six scoreless innings to help propel them to the first split of the season with an 8-3 win. Two runs in the first and second innings, one coming off an RBI single from junior Lexi Potapczak (Naperville, Illinois / Benet Academy) and then a bottom of the second Grace Henry (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville), pictured left, single scored sophomore Emily Martin (Whitehall, Michigan / Whitehall) for a 2-0 lead. 

The bottom of the fifth brought more heat, as the Flying Dutch continued to shutout Defiance. Senior Arinn King (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) soared one over the fence for her first homerun of the season, and first for the Flying Dutch in the game. Potapczak would grab her own home run, also in the 5th inning, to make it a 4-0 game. Hope wasn't done yet, as sophomore Vanessa Krombeen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Calvin Christian) joined in on the homeruns and grabbed her first of the season, making it 5-0 to head into the 6th inning. 

Defiance would send in three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Flying Dutch returned to their shutout ways, and kept the Yellow Jackets off the board for the remainder of the game. Henry would pick up two RBIs in the bottom of the sixth with sophomore Peyton Benjamin (Eaton Rapids, Michigan / Eaton Rapids) and sophomore Kyra Acker (Eaton Rapids, Michigan / Eaton Rapids) scoring. Krombeen would send home Henry after grounding out to finish Hope College's scoring in game two, with the orange and blue tallying an 8-3 win. 

Senior Chloe Haskins (Brighton, Michigan / Brighton), pictured right, took home the win after powering through five innings, firing off four strikeouts and seeing 21 batters. Haskins threw 72 pitches and put up 50 strikes. Sophomore Alaina Adams (Oak Creek, Wisconsin / St. Thomas More) closed out the win, assisting in holding off Defiance and firing 22 strikes and 37 total pitches in her two innings on the mound. 

The win saw hits from Henry (3), King, Potapczak (2), Krombeen, and Peyton Benjamin (2)

In the 9-5 loss for the Flying Dutch, King would have 3 hits, 1 homerun and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats, while junior Cayley Ebling (Shelby Township, Michigan / Utica) would make contact for one hit (1 homerun) and two RBIs in 4 at-bats. Senior Avery Slancik (Scotts, Michigan / Vicksburg) was on the mound for five innings delivering seven strikeouts and saw 24 batters. Slancik had 83 total pitches with 61 strikes for Hope. Adams closed out the first game as well, throwing 31 total pitches with 18 strikes and two strikeouts in 11 batters. 

Hope College's next series will also be on the road as the orange and blue head to take on Franklin in a double-header on Friday, March 11 and then travel to Hanover on Saturday, March 12 for another double-header.