From Washington University Athletics
Senior Annie Pitkin picked up a victory and a save on the mound as the No. 9-ranked Washington University in St. Louis softball team posted a pair of wins Saturday on day one of the 2016 Mizuno Invitational in St. Louis.
WashU posted an 8-3 win over Wartburg College in the opener, and then recorded a 9-1 five-inning victory over Augustana College (Ill.) in game two.
Junior Kenzie James went a combined 5-for-6 at the plate with five runs scored and two stolen bases. James is batting .727 (8-for-11) since being inserted into the No. 2 spot in the lineup four games ago.
#9 WashU 8, Wartburg 3
Trailing 2-0 after a half an inning to Wartburg (4-10), sophomore Maggie Clapp drove in freshman Taylor Arends with a soft single to left in the second. The Bears plated two more runs in the third to gain the lead for good after Arends roped an RBI single to left.
Arends delivered again in the fifth inning when she drove in a run with an RBI single to right and then came around to score on the play following a throwing error by center fielder Liz Roby Miklus. The two runs put WashU up in front 5-3.
The Bears added three runs in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run homerun by junior Janet Taylor. The homerun for Taylor was her second of the season and sixth of her career.
Clapp (6-2) picked up the win in relief allowing six hits and one earned run. Pitkin got the save striking out two with the bases loaded. Sophomore Mackenzie Gauden made the start lasting just a 1/3 of an inning allowing four hits and two runs (one earned).
Arends (3-for-4, two runs scored, two RBIs) and James (3-for-4, three runs scored, stolen base) each had three hits in the win. WashU had 14 hits in the win.
#9 WashU 9, Augustana (Ill.) 1 – Five Innings
Pitkin (10-2) did not allow a hit till the fourth inning against Augie, striking out seven of the first 10 batters. She picked up the win tossing a complete game, allowing four hits and one earned run. Pitkin also struck out nine in the victory, the 60th of her career.
WashU broke the tie game scoring three runs with two outs in the third inning. James and Taylor single with two outs, and then came around to score on a triple by Arends. Senior Brooke Hofer swung at the first pitch on the ensuing at-bat and laced a single to right to push the lead to 3-0.
Augustana (7-9) pushed across a run in the fourth, but WashU answered back in the fifth inning scoring six runs on seven hits. Taylor drove in two runs with a single to right, and then sophomore Ashley Madsen ended the game with a two-RBI single to left.
Hofer was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Arends (2-for-3, two runs scored, two RBIs), James (2-for-2, two runs scored, stolen base), Mehrle (2-for-3, run scored, stolen base) and Taylor (2-for-3, two runs scored, two RBIs) had multiple-hit games.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU and Wartburg met for the first time since 2009 … Mehrle's triple vs. Wartburg was her sixth of the season and 11th of her career, tying the WashU all-time record … Pitkin's save was the eighth of her career, most in school history … Taylor recorded the 100th his of her career in game two … Taylor leads the team with 12 multi-hit games, while Arends and Hofer are second with 11 … Arends has reached base in all 22 games this season … The Bears have recorded double figure hit totals in 16 of 22 games.