From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University softball split its two games at the Tucson Invitational in Tucson, Arizona on Tuesday, as the Spartans fell to Hood College 10-9 in extra innings in the first game, but then topping the Stevens Institute of Technology 6-2 in the second game.
With the split, the Spartans now stand at 7-1 on the year, while Hood improves to 6-4 overall and Stevens drops to 0-1 on the season.
Game 1: Hood 10, CWRU 9 (9 innings)
CWRU took a 1-0 lead after the first inning when sophomore Nicole Carty hit a RBI single to score junior Nicole Doyle.
The Blazers answered back in the third with a two-run homer to take a 2-1 lead, but the Spartans wasted no time as they scored a run in the next half inning. Carty delivered her second RBI of the game when she drilled a double that score senior Maren Waldner.
Hood scored three runs in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead, but CWRU once again answered in the bottom of the fifth with four runs of their own to take a 6-5 lead. Sophomore Ilissa Hamilton drew a bases loaded RBI walk, then freshman Sarah Miller hit an RBI single, and senior Katie Wede gave the Spartans the lead with a two-run RBI double.
The Blazers scored a run in the top of the sixth to send the game to extra innings. The score remained knotted at 6-6 until the top of the ninth when Hood scored four runs to take a 10-6 lead going into the bottom half of the ninth.
CWRU fought back in the bottom half of the ninth with a two-run RBI triple from freshman Dusstyn Reynolds and a RBI single from Hamilton, but were unable to complete the comeback as the Blazers secured the 10-9 win.
Hamilton started and went four innings for the Spartans. Senior Katie Dzierwa and freshman Sidney Brannam combined for five innings of relief, with Brannam taking the loss and dropping to 3-1 on the season.
The Spartans collected 13 hits in the game, including a three-for-five performance by Waldner. Carty and Wede each had two hits and two RBI's in the game as well.
Game 2: CWRU 6, Stevens 2
In the second game of the day, the Spartans struck first when Doyle led off the bottom of the first with a double to left center. Senior Grace Tritchler followed with an RBI double to left field to score Doyle from second.
CWRU added to their lead in the second inning after RBI singles from freshman Arisa Cleaveland and Waldner to put them ahead 3-0. The Spartans scored again in the third after an RBI single from Hamilton.
The Spartans added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, including another RBI single from Waldner that scored Doyle and a RBI single from Miller that scored Tritchler. The Ducks scored a run in the fifth and sixth inning, but CWRU was able to hold on for the 6-2 victory.
Brannam pitched the complete game, scattering six hits, while striking out six and yielding just two earned runs. She improved to 4-1 on the season.
At the plate, Doyle went three-for-four with two runs scored, while Waldner added a three-for-four day with two runs batted in.