by Alan Babbitt

A diligent Hope College softball team honed its game while on an unexpectedly long gap between games.

Practice made for a perfect return to the field.

The Flying Dutch swept the University of Chicago on Tuesday at Wolters Stadium, winning the non-league games, 9-1 in five innings, and 2-0 in seven innings.

Hope improved to 9-5 overall after playing for the first time since March 25 in Clermont, Florida.

"We definitely have been grinding hard," said senior Avery Slancik, the Game 1 winner on the mound with a complete-game effort. "We've been getting on the football field every day when it's been freezing — double sweatshirts. It's finally worth it to be able to play even if it's cold. We were ready to play."

Slancik (3-4), pictured, yielded one unearned run and three hits over five innings The right-hander from Scotts, Michigan (Vicksburg HS) struck out three.

The Flying Dutch supported Slancik quickly by scoring four runs in their first at-bat.

Shortstop Cayley Ebeling capped the rally with a two-out, two-run double. The junior from Shelby Township, Michigan (Utica) followed with an RBI groundout by left fielder Vanessa Krombeen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Calvin Christian) and a RBI single by designated player Lexi Potapczak (Naperville, Illinois / Benet Academy).

Ebeling blasted a three-run homer over the left-field fence in the third. It was Ebeling's second home run of the season and the fourth of her career. Ebeling matched her career-high with five RBIs.

Hope ended the game early on a fourth-inning RBI single from second baseman Arinn King (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville and a fifth-inning RBI single from pitch-hitter Sydney Zombo (Clinton Township, Michigan / Fraser).

In Game 2, starting pitcher Chloe Haskins and reliever Alaina Adams combined to throw a three hit shutout.

Haskins (Brighton, Michigan / Brighton) scattered three hits and one walk over six innings. Haskins (4-0) won a pitcher's duel with Chicago's Paige Heffke, who went the distance for Chicago (4-11).

Adams pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for her first save of the season and the second of her career.

The Flying Dutch scored one run apiece in their first and last at-bats.

In the first, King came home from third on a throwing error when the Maroons tried to throw out Grace Henry at second on a stolen-base attempt.

In the sixth, Ebeling knocked in Krombeen with a single after Krombeen hit a two-out double.

Head coach Mary VandeHoef was proud of how her team responded to a long layoff between games.

"That's so many games in Florida in such a short period of time; sometimes after Day 1 and Day 2 you find out things you've got to work at and get better at. You just don't have practice down there," VandeHoef said. "To have a week-and-a-half to get after it in practice was good. There were things we needed to get better at, and we did. We worked hard amidst wanting to play, the weather." 

Hope's next games are scheduled for Thursday, April 7, with a 3 p.m. doubleheader against Adrian College at Wolters Stadium. It is the MIAA opener for the Flying Dutch.