The Wilmington College softball team committed seven errors in two games, and was swept by league-leading Heidelberg Saturday at the WC Softball Complex.
It marked the final home games for a trio of seniors – Allie Noggle (Ashville, OH/Teays Valley), Jess Clutter (Englewood, OH/Northmont) and Sarah Maraan (Cincinnati, OH/McAuley).
Wilmington (6-28 overall, 2-14 OAC) is scheduled to return to action 1 p.m. Sunday, playing OU-Chillicothe in non-conference action.
GAME ONE: HEIDELBERG 7, WILMINGTON 1
Maraan recorded her first career hit and RBI in the sixth inning to account for Wilmington's lone run of the game. It was the bright spot of a frustrating game as the Fightin' Quakers left 10 runners on base, including having the bases loaded twice.
Back-to-back walks proceeded a home run to give Heidelberg a lead in the second inning, but Wilmington had a chance to cut into it deficit. A one-out single by Emily Smith (Bellbrook, OH/Bellbrook) and a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases. However, damage was avoided with a strikeout.
Singles by Noggle, Sydney Kelly (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore) and Hillary Daria-White (Felicity, OH/Felicity Franklin) loaded the bases once again in the fourth inning, but a fly out ended the threat.
Getting out of another bases loaded jam seemed to energize the Student Princes as they added a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Freshman Savannah Hooper (Leesburg, OH/Wilmington) and Noggle each went 2-for-4 in the loss.
Freshman Beth Persicano (Knoxville, TN/Cincinnati Turpin) look the loss (3-16), allowing seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits in seven innings of work.
GAME TWO: HEIDELBERG 5, WILMINGTON 2
Heidelberg scored three unearned runs in the sixth inning to give it much needed breathing room as HU completed the sweep.
Wilmington looked to have worked itself around an inning-opening two-base error with a fly out and pop out, but a single and double brought home two runs and an another error allowed a third run to score. Those runs proved vital as the Fightin' Quakers scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Junior Jessie Stewart (Fredericktown, OH/Highland) opened the seventh with a double, and came around to score via a two-out throwing error.
Back-to-back hit batters to open the game opened the door for Heidelberg to take an early 1-0 lead in the first. But heads up bases running allowed Wilmington to knot the game in the second.
Clutter opened the inning with a single and moved all the way around the third on a one-out sacrifice bunt by Smith. She scampered home with the equalizing run on a RBI single by Whitney Edwards (Frankfort, KY/Franklin County).
The Student Princes used small ball to recapture the lead in the third. The first two batters reached on bunt singles, but the lead runner was thrown out at third trying to advance on the latter hit. It was a alert play by leftfielder Hooper, who covered third for the out.
A bloop single into right was followed by a seeing-eye single up the middle, and HU reclaim its lead. However, Wilmington avoided more damage with a foul out and strike out.
Junior Megan Warren (Grove City, OH/Grove City) was 2-for-4, while Clutter was also 2-for-4 with a run scored. Hooper, who has recorded a hit in eight of the last 10 games, extended her hitting streak to five with a third inning single.
Freshman Becca Carpenter (South Charleston, OH/Southeastern) was hung with the loss (0-4), allowing five runs (two earned) on 11 hits in seven innings of work. She registered four strikeouts and one walk.