By Caitlin Opperman

Mac softball steps up to the plateThe softball team came out swinging in their Spring Break trip to Clermont, Fla., last week for the National Training Center Games. The Scots started strong with a 6-1 record in the first half of the tournament, but fell behind with a six-game losing streak, ultimately finishing the week 7-7.

With 10 freshmen making their debut on this year’s squad, the spring season looks promising. Meghan Merriman ’14 batted .350 with nine RBI (second to 11 RBI from Courtney Nussbaumer ’13) and Cleo Nagy ’14 led the team with 10 runs scored and seven doubles, batting .349.

Returning pitcher Amanda Knopf ’12 held strong on the mound, ending the week with a 5-4 record and a 3.29 ERA.

Today’s game against Bethany Lutheran in Mankato has been postponed, but the Scots remain scheduled to take on Augsburg Mar. 30 on the Macalester Field at 4 p.m.

Women’s water polo struggles to make a splash

A whirlwind Spring Break trip, with stops in California and Pennsylvania, proved to be a rough start to the spring season for women’s water polo.

The Scots went 1-7 at the Claremont Convergence Tournament in California before flying to Erie, Pa., for the College Water Polo Association East vs. West Tournament in which they finished 1-4. The week’s wins came in a close 8-7 victory against Caltech early in the trip and a hard fought 9-8 game against Wheaton College at the end of the week.

The team is full of young talent, with six freshmen and four sophomores, talent the team hopes to utilize as the season continues. Katie Eulau ’14 led the team in Pa., scoring 22 of the team’s 31 goals throughout the tournament, while Jillian Benson ’11 and Chloe Kaulas ’14 each netted two goals.

The team looks forward to the West vs. Central tournament in Kenosha, Wisconsin Apr. 8-9.

Mac tennis a smashing success

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams came away with winning records during their Spring Break trip to Hilton Head, S.C.

The women were a 5-4 loss to Shephard away from sweeping the competition, settling instead for a very robust 4-1 record. In their first four wins, the Scots only dropped two individual matches combined. Although that statistic demonstrates a great degree of dominance, their performance on a micro level was even more impressive. Against Greenville and Texas Lutheran on March 13, they won 160 out of 176 total games as a team. Their victories against Manhattanville and Spring Arbor the next day, while not as overwhelming, were still won in a decisive manner. Unfortunately, in their final day of competition, the team lost a heartbreaker against Shephard. The Scots lost both singles matches that went to tiebreakers.

The men won three out of their five matches. Against Texas Lutheran on March 13, the Scots recorded a 9-0 victory. They only dropped one set the entire match. The team stumbled a little bit in their two matches the following day, losing 1-8 against North Georgia while being edged out in a tightly contested match against Manhattanville 5-4. Like the women against Shephard, the men lost two individual matches in tiebreakers against Manhattanville. However, the team rallied to defeat St. Mary’s on March 15 and Stevenson the next day. The Scots won the two matches 8-1 and 9-0 respectively while regaining some of the form they showed the first day.

The Scots look to build upon their successful Spring Breaks. Both teams play on Saturday, with the women taking on St. Benedict while the men face St. John’s.

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