From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
For the first time in 23 years, the Case Western Reserve University softball team claimed the outright University Athletic Association championship, clinching the title with two wins over Carnegie Mellon University at Mather Park in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans won the first game 16-4 in five innings and clinched the title with a 7-2 win in the second game.
It is the first UAA title for the Spartans since they were tri-champions in 2014 and the team's first outright title since 1999. The conference championship is the first for the program since the UAA moved conference games from Florida to on-campus sites in 2017.
CWRU improved to 23-9 on the season and 15-3 in conference play with one conference game remaining. The Tartans fell to 15-18 overall and 6-12 in the UAA. The second-place team in the conference is Washington University in St. Louis, who can best finish the season with a 15-5 conference record.
Senior infielder senior Grace Yeung drove in a career-high six runs in the first game, tied for second most in a single game in program history. Former Spartan Sarah Miller drove in seven runs on March 20, 2021, against Kenyon. Yeung went four-for-five in the doubleheader with a home run, a double, and seven runs driven in. In the second game, first-year pitcher Lexi Miskey tied the single-game program record with 13 strikeouts, last done by former Spartan Ilissa Hamilton in 2019. First-year utility player Isabella Russo recorded three hits in the second game, driving in three runs and scoring twice.
Game 1: CWRU 16, Carnegie Mellon 4 (5 inn.)
The Spartan offense erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the first inning on the strength of three home runs.
Sophomore outfielder Stevie Rieger started the scoring with a two-run home run after sophomore catcher Jordon Manworren led off the frame with a single. Sophomore infielder KaiLi Gross followed Rieger with a homer of her own to increase the lead to three. After the next three batters reached base, Yeung hit the third Case Western Reserve home run of the inning to put the Spartans up 7-0 with no outs recorded. It was the first grand slam of Yeung's career and her fourth home run this season. Gross increased her season home run total to five, and Rieger has four homers on the year. Two additional Spartan runs scored on wild pitches in the inning.
The Tartans responded with three runs in the next inning, cutting their deficit to six. However, Yeung delivered in the bottom half, plating two runs with a single to give CWRU an 11-3 lead.
The Spartans added three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth inning. Russo drove in a run in the third with two others scoring on base running plays. Sophomore infielder Kaila Nutter added a run-scoring single in the fourth with the second run scoring on a first-and-third play.
First-year pitcher Kylie Hosey (12-5) earned the win, allowing three earned runs on four hits in four innings with two strikeouts.
CWRU drew nine walks in the contest after collecting 10 in the series opener. The 16 runs are tied for fourth most in a single game in program history and the most since the team scored 16 against Denison on April 6, 2021.
Game 2: CWRU 7, Carnegie Mellon 2
The Tartans took their first lead of the series, scoring a run in the second inning without a hit and adding another on a solo home run from Emily Song in the third inning. Case Western Reserve responded with seven unanswered runs in the final four frames to clinch the conference championship.
In the bottom of the third, the Spartans claimed the lead, scoring three runs with two outs in the frame. The first one scored when Gross drew a throw, which bounded into center field, on a stolen base, allowing sophomore catcher Jordon Manworren to score. Russo drove Gross in with a single to tie the score, and senior infielder Liv Thomas scored on a wild pitch to give CWRU a 3-2 lead.
Case Western Reserve added two runs in the fifth inning. Russo delivered a run-scoring single and junior second baseman Amanda Riely drove in a run on a double.
Carnegie Mellon led off the sixth inning with a triple, but Miskey stranded the runner with a pop up, strikeout, and flyout. Miskey (11-4) allowed two runs on four hits in a complete game effort.
Russo added the team's sixth run in the sixth inning, scoring sophomore pinch runner Jenna Jaklich with a two-out double. Yeung followed with her seventh RBI of the day, plating Russo with a double to increase the Spartan tally to seven.
Gross, Thomas, and Yeung each collected two hits in the second game. Gross went four-for-seven across the two games, scoring four runs and driving in one, while Thomas recorded three hits in five at bats in the doubleheader, scoring three times and walking twice.