From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University softball team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday in Emory, Virginia, defeating Marietta College 2-1 in eight innings in their opening game, and following with a 16-8 win over Emory & Henry College in the late affair.
The Spartans have now won three-straight games, and improved to 3-3 overall. Marietta fell to 1-1 with the loss, while Emory & Henry dropped to 2-4.
Game 1: CWRU 2, Marietta 1 (8 inn.)
The early game on Saturday featured a pitchers' duel between Marietta's Jocelyn White and CWRU junior Annie Wennerberg. Neither team scored until the bottom of the sixth, when sophomore Katie Wede singled to start the inning, stole second, and took advantage of a fielding error to break the scoreless tie.
Marietta had an answer in the top of the seventh, tying the game on an RBI single from Alexis Reese. CWRU threated in the bottom of the seventh, when right fielder Kristen Klemmertripled with one out, but the inning was ended on a line-out double play.
After a scoreless top of the eighth, CWRU came to bat in the bottom of the inning. Freshman pinch runner Savi Medlang was automatically placed on second base, and advanced to third on a Wede sacrifice bunt. The next batter, second baseman Lindsey Robinson, hit a ball to short that was bobbled by the fielder, allowing Medlang to score the walk-off run.
Klemmer had two of the team's six hits in the first game, including the seventh-inning triple. Wennerberg went the distance on the mound, allowing a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out ten batters in the game.
Game 2: CWRU 16, Emory & Henry 8 (5 inn.)
Case Western Reserve's bats came alive in the second game of the day, as the team overcame an early deficit by scoring 13 runs over the third, fourth and fifth innings to secure the early win.
Wennerberg got the Spartans off to a quick start in the game, driving in a run with a base hit in the first. Third baseman Grace Tritchler and designated player Alex Favazza added RBIs in the top of the first to help CWRU to a 3-0 lead after half a frame.
Emory and Henry had a response, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first, and adding on two more in the second to jump out to a 6-3 lead. CWRU regained the advantage with a four-run top of the third, taking a 7-6 lead. The inning was keyed by a two-run double from shortstop Nicole Doyle that tied the game, and a go-ahead hit from catcher Meghann McMahon.
The Wasps evened the score again in the bottom of the third, but the game belong to the Spartans from that point forward. In the fourth, Tritchler gave CWRU the lead back with a three-run home run, her second of the season, and the Spartans would never trail again in the game.
Tritchler finished the game two-for-two with six RBIs and three runs scored, while McMahon was four-for-four in the contest with three RBIs. Katie Dzierwa earned the win in relief, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out three batters over 3.2 innings of work.