From Washington University Athletics

The Washington University in St. Louis softball team hit three home runs and recorded its second-straight top-20 victory in a 17-13 win over No. 19 Mary Hardin-Baylor Sunday to close out the 2020 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic with Sunday in Tucson, Ariz.

WashU's finale with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges was cancelled due to rain. The Bears went 3-2 in the five games in Arizona and scored 53 runs.

The Bears recorded a season-high 14 hits, and had homeruns from freshmen Charlotte Linnartz and Kayla Nommensen and junior Natasha Ramakrishnan. 

Sophomore Holly Stoner (3-0) picked up the win in relief allowing one hit and one earned run in four innings pitched.

WashU trailed 9-2 after 1 ½ innings, but the Bears answered back with seven runs on eight hits to tie the game. Linnartz had a two-run home run and senior Mikaela Arredondo drove in two with a single. Sophomore Nicole Hay and Ramakrishnan also added RBI doubles in the second.

WashU pushed across four runs in the third on a grand slam by Nommensen to make it 13-11. The teams combined for 24 runs and 22 hits in the first three innings.

Arredondo drove in two in the fourth, and then a two-homerun by Ramakrishnan in the fifth made it 17-13.

Ramakrishnan went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, while Arredondo and Nommensen had four RBI each. Five Bears recorded multi-hit games.

BEAR NOTEBOOK:
• The Bears have hit nine home runs this season after recording just five a year ago
• Nommensen leads the team and the UAA with three home runs
• WashU is 2-0 against ranked teams this season
• The home run for Linnartz and Ramakrishnan were the first of their career