From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University softball team split a doubleheader on the road against New York University on Friday afternoon, falling 6-4 in the first game, before bouncing back for a 9-1 win in six innings in the second contest.
The Spartans now stand at 18-7 overall and 5-5 in the UAA, while NYU moved to 12-10 on the season and 1-1 in the conference.
Game 1: NYU 6, CWRU 4
The Spartans got on the board first after senior Maren Waldner scored on a wild pitch from third to give CWRU the 1-0 advantage. The Spartans added on in the top of the fourth when senior Katie Wede hit a RBI single that scored freshman Sarah Miller. Waldner followed with a single up the middle that scored Wede, increasing the CWRU lead to 3-0.
The Violets responded the next half inning with three runs of their own after a two run home run from Ashley Mains and then a solo shot from Jacqueline Finn. NYU took the lead in the fifth after a solo home run from Diana King, and then increased their lead in the sixth with a two run home run from Finn, taking a 6-3 lead going into the seventh.
CWRU attempted a late comeback in the seventh when Waldner scored on an error by the NYU shortstop, but that wasn't enough as the Violets secured the 6-4 victory.
Waldner led the Spartans at the plate, going a perfect four-for-four with two runs scored and one run batted in, while Miller added a two-for-four performance in game one.
Sophomore Ilissa Hamilton started and took the loss for CWRU, falling to 7-4 on the year. Karissa Zubulake picked up the win for New York in game one, improving to 4-1, while Cassi Parulis earned the save, her first on the season.
Game 2: CWRU 9, NYU 1 (6 innings)
The Spartans scored a run in the second, three runs in the fifth and erupted for five runs in the sixth inning during the second game of the doubleheader to secure a 9-1 win over the Violets in six innings.
Freshman Sidney Brannam went all six innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits and a walk, while striking out one batter. She improved to 9-3 on the campaign with the win.
CWRU opened the scoring in the second, when freshman Dusstyn Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly to center to score junior Nicole Doyle. The Violets responded in the bottom of the third, scoring a run to even the score at 1-1.
The Spartans scored three more runs in the fifth when freshman Arisa Cleaveland hit a two-run RBI single and then senior Grace Tritchler followed with an RBI single, giving CWRU a 4-1 lead. The Spartans then erupted in the top of the sixth with five runs, including another RBI single from Cleaveland, to secure the 9-1 Spartan victory.
Cleaveland led CWRU at the plate with a three-for-four performance, including three runs batted in, while Tritchler also went three-for-four in the second game with one run batted in.
Scarlett Murphy pitched in relief and suffered the loss for New York in the second game, dropping to 4-3 on the season.