Indiana University Athletics
Spring Break Adventures: Sarah Padove
3/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Freshman Second Baseman, Sarah Padove
What is Indiana Softball? It's that un-dying will to win and play your heart out to the best of your abilities day-in and day-out. Also it involves learning from your mistakes and setbacks and using them to improve for the next contest. That is my take on it anyway, and the Florida State Tournament encompassed all of that and more.
We played our game and showed up to the field confident that we could take on whomever the opponent happened to be, regardless of their rank. Saturday night's game against Nebraska was a defining moment for the team as a whole. It was a dog fight the whole game. Nebraska took a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh. Then we came up to the plate in the bottom of the inning and recorded two quick outs. Still, not for one moment, did we doubt our ability to come out on top, especially with the top of the order coming to the plate. Julia Hamilton was able to get on base, which then brought Mariangee Bogado to the plate.
She had pitched a spectacular game, and there was no way she was going to go down without a fight. She came up big and hit a screaming triple to score Julia.
With Jennilee coming up and Mariangee on third, the rest of us were just waiting for a big hit so we could storm the field. The energy on the field was incredible, and Jennilee stepped up and hit a bomb to score Mariangee. It could not have been better if it was scripted. Needless to say, those three days were extremely exciting and a ton of fun. It cannot get much better than listening to N'Sync's greatest hits on the way to the field, dancing in the vans and playing great softball to win a tournament.
After the Florida State Tournament, we moved to Daytona for the remainder of spring break. Our hotel was right on the ocean and the atmosphere could not have been better. In addition to the numerous spring break vacationers present, it also happened to be biker week in Daytona. Needless to say, that proved to be an additional point of interest for the week. The first night we arrived in Daytona was the beginning of our time off. Some of us took the opportunity to walk around and do some sight seeing.
The next day was actually my 19th birthday, so I took a trip to Disney with my mom (Susan) for a few hours and a nice dinner.
I did not have a chance to relax on the beach the day before, so I was excited to finally get time to do that after the picnic. Megan Roark and Abby Page also spent a good deal of time burying Julia in the sand. I was just happy and content to lie on the beach and soak up the sun, knowing all too well we would be returning to the cold weather of the Midwest in a couple of days.
Wednesday morning began with a team walk on the beach. It was slightly windy and the waves were crashing along the beach. I loved every minute of it! The games Wednesday and Thursday were not exactly the best displays of softball, but I think we realized we still have to play our game and anyone can beat us at any time if we do not show up to play.
It's unfortunate we could not come away with two wins in Daytona, but overall spring break 2006 was amazing! The Florida State Tournament title is of course the highlight of the trip, but the atmosphere in Daytona with the beach and surf shops is something I will never forget. It's good to be home and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the season brings.
