Photo by Kaylee Baerber
Posted: Mar 12, 2020
NAPLES, Florida – The Wilmington College softball team closed out its spring trip with victories over two State University of New York Schools – 7-5 over Canton and 3-1 over Brockport – on Thursday.
In game one, Wilmington scored a run in each of the first two innings as Megan Crager scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and Alecia Kemp drew a walk with the bases loaded. Unfortunately for the Fightin' Quakers, they left six runners on base in the first two innings.
The Kangaroos answered with three runs in the top of the third, two of which were unearned thanks to three Wilmington errors. The Quakers wasted no time in answering, however, tying the game in the bottom of the inning as Crager was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. One batter later, Hayley Suchland launched her third home run of the trip, clearing the bases for a grand slam.
Leading 7-3, starter Grace Shell put zeros up on the board for the next three innings, but Canton mounted a two-out rally in the top of the seventh. After two strikeouts, a hit by pitch and a home run got Canton with two runs, and three straight singles that followed loaded the bases and put the tying run in scoring position. Shell locked in, however, and a strikeout ended the threat and the game.
Shell improved to 3-1 on the season with the complete-game victory. Her 14 strikeouts are a program best for a single game in at least the last two decades. Alaina Beane took her first loss of
the season for Canton allowing four earned runs in 2.1 innings.
Canton outhit Wilmington 7-5, but the Quakers drew eight walks as a team. Crager, Suchland, Durbin, Kemp and Mariyah Burkhardt all had hits for Wilmington while Jordan Knapp went 3-for-3 for the Kangaroos in defeat.
In game two, neither team scored for three innings until KenDahl Bowles singles home Taylor Wells in the top of the fourth inning. One inning later, Sarah Monnier and Kennedy Clifton set the table for Durbin, who doubled both home in the top of the fifth. The Golden Eagles scored a single unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't muster another.
Shell earned her second complete-game victory of the day, scattering seven hits and a walk over seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. Macy Kane took her first loss of the season for Brockport, allowing three earned runs on nine hits in seven innings.
Crager, Durbin, Bowles and Monnier all had multi-hit games for the Quakers while Jessica Koneski finished 2-for-3 for Brockport in defeat.
Due to the OAC's decision to cancel spring sports and the NCAA cancelling all winter and spring championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilmington's short season comes to a close at 7-3.
