From Washington University Athletics
Junior Hannah Mehrle went 5-for-6 with a home run and four RBIs and became the all-time triples leader to lead No. 24-ranked Washington University in St. Louis softball team to a pair of wins over Webster University Thursday in the battle of Big Bend.
WashU posted a 3-1 victory in game one, and then recorded a 9-0 win in five innings in the nightcap.
The Bears improved to 34-10 with the doubleheader sweep, while Webster fell to 16-19.
#24 WashU 3, Webster 1 – Game One
Senior pitcher Annie Pitkin (20-5) tossed a complete game allowing five hits and one earned run with 11 strikeouts. The victory for Pitkin was also the 70th of her career.
WashU started the game with four-straight singles, and took the 1-0 lead in the first after a single up the middle by senior Brooke Hofer. The lead grew to 2-0 in the second after an RBI groundout by junior Kenzie James. The Bears have five hits in first two innings.
Mehrle recorded her third hit of the game in fourth, an RBI single up the middle, to extend the advantage to 3-1.
Mehrle went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while James was 2-for-4 with a run scored, stolen base and an RBI. Sophomore Hera Tang went 2-for-3 with a stolen base as WashU recorded 11 hits in the win.
#24 WashU 9, Webster 0 (Five Innings) – Game Two
Sophomore Maggie Clapp (10-5) retired the first 10 batters in game two en route to allowing just one hit in four innings with five strikeouts. Sophomore Anna McKee pitched the fifth inning to preserve the shutout.
WashU struck first in the bottom of the first after James singled and scored on a triple down the right field line by Mehrle. Junior Janet Taylor grounded out to third to score Mehrle to make it 2-0.
The Bears scored five runs on five hits in the third to extend the lead to 7-0. Freshman Taylor Arends had the big hit of the inning, a two-run double to left field. Clapp, Hofer and Taylor also added RBIs in the inning.
Hofer led off the fifth inning with a single and then Mehrle launched a homerun to right center to push the lead to 9-0. The RBI for Mehrle was the 100th of her career.
Mehrle was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBIs as WashU had 10 hits in the win. James, Hofer and freshman Josi Elder also added two hits.
WashU closes out regular season play Sunday, May 1, with a doubleheader against Millikin University (14-20). Game one is set to begin at 1 p.m.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Webster 17-10 … Hofer played in her 182nd career game, most in school history … WashU was No. 5 in the second set of NCAA Division III Midwest Region Rankings … The 34 wins in 2016 are the fourth most in a single season under head coach Leticia Pineda-Boutte … Mehrle's triple in game two was her seventh of the season, tying the WashU single-season record, and upped her career total to 12 … Mehrle also tied the WashU single-season record for hits (72) … Pitkin appeared in her 119th game, most in school history … James moved into a tie for third all-time in stoles bases (58).