PORT ANGELES — A simple move across the plate at a young age followed by hours of training have helped Port Angeles’ Carly Gouge come close to perfecting the art of the softball slap.
Slap hitting is primarily designed to give left-handed hitters a running start down the base path toward first base, allowing them to beat out infield hits before fielders can throw them out.
Gouge’s adoption of this hitting style provides one more weapon for the undefeated Roughriders (16-0) as they attempt to win their opening two games today at the District 2/3 softball tournament at Sprinker Fields in Tacoma.
Two wins today would put Port Angeles back at state and into Saturday’s district semifinals.
There are multiple variations on the slap. Hitters using the style can go with a power swing, the technique Gouge says she utilizes most often as the Riders leadoff hitter.
“You can also soft slap, where you can see the defense is playing you further back and you can drop one in on them,” Gouge said.
“On hard ground, especially at Sprinker for districts and at Yakima for state, the ground can be a lot harder, so you can chop the ball and it bounces so high the fielders can’t field it, and by the time they grab it you are at first.”
Slappers, a term Gouge wholeheartedly embraces, also can slap-and-run with runners on base, slap bunt along the third-base line and soft slap when they see fielders edging back.
“That’s the great thing about slapping, you are always keeping the defense on their toes and they never quite know what to expect of you,” Gouge said.
“You can read the defense and decide what to choose.”
Gouge, born a right-handed hitter, adopted the style when her speed became a weapon when playing youth softball.
“I used to hit right-handed and switched to hitting lefty around 10 or 11 because of my speed,” Gouge said.
“And I switch-hit for a little while, but I eventually went left-handed full time after that.”
She made the switch with help from her dad, Dirk, a Port Angeles physician and an assistant for the Riders.
“He helped me by getting me instructional DVDs to watch, and we read about techniques online,” Gouge said.
“We also spent a lot of time after school and on weekends, just us in the batting cages and him throwing me BP [batting practice], and it was just a lot of hours put in.
“There are different drills and progressions you can do, ranging from hitting off tees to hitting off the pitching machine to hitting live.
“You can practice hitting to certain spots and practice getting down the line.”
The switch to the slap was a smart one, according to Port Angeles head coach Randy Steinman.
“It was a great choice on both their parts,” Steinman said.
“But they could have never done it without the hard work that both Carly and her dad put into it.
“It’s not an easy thing to learn. A senior couldn’t try to pick it up before the season and expect to have success. You have to commit all or nothing so you can master it.”
Steinman loves the stress Gouge’s slap hitting puts on the opposition.
Gouge’s batting average sits above the .500 mark on the season.
“She can make the defense make one little mistake, one little bobble, and boom, she’s safe.
“Or she goes to their left or right with the ball with a power swing and they are just done.
“High school-wise, you see most other high school teams with one [slapper], but they aren’t even close to what Carly has mastered with her slap. Carly got great training from her dad and from some camps.”
Getting on base also amps up the pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses.
“She’s fast and very smart on the bases,” Steinman said.
“She’s played enough she knows the situations, and it shows out in the field, too.”
Gouge also conducts the outfield from her spot in center field.
“She provides leadership out there,” Steinman said.
“She’s so vocal out there, if she calls for the ball, everybody in the whole town knows it’s hers.
“She controls the outfield and controls the infield as well.
“She’s just very softball-smart.”
Colleges noticed her abilities on the diamond, and Gouge has signed to play at NCAA Division II Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich.
“I really do take pride in [slap hitting], Gouge said.
“I love being able to do what I do, and honestly I’m so grateful for this.
“I know I’ve worked really hard to become good at it, and I’m glad I’ll be able to keep doing it in college.”
And if things work out in the team’s favor, Gouge and the Riders will slap their way to the medal round and the school’s first trophy at the state tournament.
________
Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
