From Washington University Athletics
Junior pitcher Annie Pitkin tossed a complete game shutout on the mound and senior Adrienne White went 3-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate to lead the No. 23-ranked Washington University in St. Louis softball team to a 6-0 win over Brandeis University Thursday at the 2015 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship at the Seminole County Softball Complex in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Pitkin improved to 8-1 on the year and has allowed just one earned run in 21 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts at the UAA Championship. For the season, she has a 0.64 earned run average with 67 strikeouts and just eight walks in 55 innings.
Washington U. won its third-straight game to improve to 12-3, 4-1 in the UAA, while Brandeis fell to 4-4, 1-4 in the UAA.
The Bears threatened in the second inning loading the bases with one out after two singles and a hit-by-pitch, but senior Alyssa Wilson lined into a double play to end the threat. Pitkin also had a single in her first at-bat of the season in the second.
After hitting the first batter of the game, Pitkin retired 11-straight before giving up a hit to Anya Kamber and Cori Coleman with two outs in the fourth. Pitkin got Madi Hunter to ground out to end the threat.
Washington U. broke open the game in the top of the fifth inning by scoring four runs on three hits and took advantage of a Brandeis error to take a 5-0 lead. White had the big hit of the inning, a two-RBI double down the left field line, which drove home senior Paige Biles and sophomore Kenzie James. Junior Brooke Hofer added a sacrifice fly for an RBI in the inning. Sophomore Halle Steinberg drove in the final run of the game in the top of the seventh with an RBI single to left to score Taylor.
Biles had her fifth-straight multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Taylor went 2-for-3 with a walk. Hofer also had a nice day at the plate going 2-for-2 with an RBI, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. Washington U. had 14 hits in the win, its second-highest hit total of the season.
Washington U. begins the second half of the 2015 UAA Championship Tournament Friday, March 13, with a pair of games against Case Western Reserve University at 10 a.m. (ET) and No. 19-ranked University of Rochester at 1 p.m. WashU and Case are tied for first in the UAA standings with a 4-1 record.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: White has hit safely in 11-straight games, while Biles and Mehrle are riding a season-long seven-game hit streak … Biles leads the tournament in batting average (.556) and hits (10) … White is hitting .450 with five doubles, a home run and seven RBIs in the UAA Championship and leads the tournament with 17 total bases … The Bears lead the tourney in batting average (.345) and earned run average (0.80).