After finding themselves in a bit of a slump thus far in the month of April, the Oberlin softball team responded well with a 2-0 win in the second game of a weekday doubleheader against fellow conference rival Hiram.

The April 18 win was their first in the league in three years. Despite losing the first game 6-2, excellent pitching by senior Kate Oberg and clutch hitting by first-year Ruth Allanbrook made sure the Yeowomen walked away with the win in the second.

With their last win coming during their spring break trip to Florida in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic against SUNY Fredonia, it has been a grueling and frustrating few weeks for the Yeowomen, who are currently in the thick of their conference schedule. The Yeowomen have kept their heads high and continued to work at improving for the final two weeks of the year.

This improvement was evident in the game against Hiram, which was complemented by solid preparation in their weekend doubleheader against the Ohio Wesleyan University Bishops, according to head coach Adrienne Davis.

“Our games against OWU weren’t the most stellar games we played, but what was really great about them was that they set us up and prepared us well for our victory,” Davis said.

The Yeowomen took a trip to Delaware, OH on April 15 to face the current third place Bishops. Oberlin dropped both games, losing 10-0 and 8-1. Sophomore Spencer McCaffrey got the RBI, going 1-3 in the second game.

According to Davis, the team had been averaging 3.5 errors a game, but limited their mistakes to only one each game on Tuesday. Tough defense was aided by outstanding pitching by Oberg, who like a fine wine, seems to be getting better with age.

“Kate has been a beast on the mound for us, as she has already doubled her strikeout total from a year ago, and has tripled the amount from the year before that,” said Davis.

Oberg went the complete seven innings, walking only one, giving up six hits and striking out two.

At a time when “everything just clicked,” Davis also cited third-base extraordinaire McCaffrey as being one of the leaders during the Hiram games. “Spencer, who is the best third baseman in the league, had so much energy in the games that it just infected everyone else and carried us through the win,” said Davis.

Looking toward the rest of the season, Davis hopes to notch a few more wins, but will be happy as long as “we can stay focused, positive, energetic and competitive.” Davis also feels that as an underdog team, the Yeowomen have little to lose. The first-year Oberlin coach also was positive about the support the team has received this year. “We’ve had some really great support this year from the student body, the men’s lacrosse team, the women’s lacrosse team, the baseball team, parents, and of course, The Oberlin Review!”

Oberlin looks to stay on the winning track in conference play as they play at Kenyon on Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m.