McKenzie Melvin waits for the pitch. Melvin totaled 5 RBI in the doubleheader sweep. - Photo via Rowan Athletics
Rowan Softball returned home on Wednesday, Feb. 26 for the first time in 278 days, since clinching a spot in the Division III College Softball World Series. The No. 3 nationally-ranked Rowan Profs opened up against SUNY Oneonta and picked up where they left off, sweeping the doubleheader over the Red Dragons with 4-0 and 7-2 victories.
McKenzie Melvin drove in the first run of the season on a bunt single to the pitcher that scored Liz McCaffrey, who opened the game with a triple. On her next at-bat, Melvin circled the bases to put the Profs up 2-0 in the third inning.
“The pitch was outside so I wanted to take it that way. I let it get a little bit deeper,” Melvin said. “I didn’t lunge for the ball so I just hit it at the right spot and it just went.”
Rowan’s offense was consistent in game 1 with eight hits. Melvin drove in the first three runs of the game for the Profs before Abigail Pawlowski hit a sacrifice fly to give the Profs the final 4-0 margin.
In the circle, it was a similar story for senior right-hander Rylee Lutz, who entered without allowing a hit, but the no-hit bid ended after Ava Thys grounded one through the left side with one out. Lutz closed out the game with nine strikeouts, tying her season-high from a year ago, en route to the 4-0 victory.
“A lot of spinning my ball, whether it’s hitting location or spinning right to that spot,” Lutz said. “That’s probably what helped me the most today.”
Lutz pitched in 34 games last year for the Profs, posting a 1.72 ERA. Behind the plate for all 34 of those appearances was Kaitlyn Riggs. Now, Lutz has a new partner in Kate Evick. The junior is one of two position players stepping into a new role as a consistent starter.
“It was so exciting, we’ve had bullpens together, so I knew she would be fine. She was a wall back there, she did amazing,” Lutz said. “I’m so proud of her.”
Going into game 2, Rowan carried momentum scoring the game’s first three runs. Payton MacNair singled in the first to drive in Melvin off a fielding error, and then Pawlowski reached on a dropped fly ball to first base, scoring Breanna Bryant and Kate Evick.
SUNY Oneonta responded with a run in the 4th off junior left-hander Emily McCutcheon with a double to right center by Jaime Cardello. Rowan combatted the run with a double of their own after Payton MacNair drove in her sister, Zara MacNair, in the bottom half of the inning.
The Red Dragons added another in the 5th off a single from Julia Serena, but the Profs still held a two-run lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Melvin delivered a 2-RBI triple to right center to double the lead to four. Melvin started the season on fire, driving in her fourth and fifth RBI on the day.
“I’ve been working a lot to stay back more instead of lunging for the ball. I’ve also been going to the cage every Tuesday with my dad, just working on some swinging,” Melvin said. “Other than that, just staying in my legs and on my back foot instead of going forward towards the ball.”
Payton MacNair added another run in the inning on a sacrifice fly to give the Profs a 7-2 lead. Senior transfer, Makayla Veneziale closed the game in the circle for Rowan to sweep SUNY Oneonta to start the season.
“I thought we pitched very well. I thought our hitters took advantage when they could. We still have some work to do,” Head coach Kim Wilson said. “We haven’t had umpires and that kind of stuff, so seeing the strike zone and what their strike zone is, but I thought overall we played good defense. We made things happen when we could. If they made mistakes, we scored on them and took an extra base, and whatever we needed to do, so I thought that was positive for us.”
The Profs haven’t been outside much due to weather conditions in February. They’ve practiced at All Pro and Total Turf. Melvin and the team were ready to return to action.
“It felt really good to come out here with a new team and see how everyone is doing and who is gonna play because you never know how it’s going to be,” Melvin said. “It’s a little bit harder because we don’t get to get out here much. We’ve only been out here three times so far this season. It’s a lot different from indoors and outdoors, but I think overall we did well and I’m just excited to be back to playing.”
It was the first time the team saw the dirt that week.
“We haven’t been outside much, so the was number 1 thing to go back outside in the dirt,” Lutz said. “Pitching against other players was a little bit scarier, just to see how your pitches are moving and everything, but also excitement because it’s the first last game for a lot of us. That was another thing that had nerves with it.”
Step one in returning to the Division III Softball World Series starts with two victories for Rowan. The Profs look to get back for the 3rd straight year. The mindset stays the same.
“We do [have a lot of returners] but it’s a bunch of new kids out there too. On paper, we look like we should be where we were last year, but it’s a game at a time. You never know,” Wilson said. “The end of the season is a long time from now. We got to stay healthy, have to have a little bit of luck, have to have good weather, your kids have to stay together, all those things. I’m just happy we got two today. They’re a better team than they have been, and looking forward to New Paltz on Saturday.”
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