ANDERSON, Indiana - The Wilmington College softball team split its second road twinbill of the season on Tuesday, falling to Anderson University 5-4 in game one and rebounding to win the nightcap 14-6.
Coincidentally, the scores nearly mirrored the Quakers' last doubleheader - vs. Bluffton University last Wednesday - as WC fell 5-4 in game one and won the nightcap by eight runs.
In game one, the hosts scored first as Jayden Brown singled to begin the bottom of the second and Lexi Rankin left the ballpark for a two-run home run. The visitors answered with a home run of their own in the top of the second as McKenna Archey hit a solo bomb for the Quakers' first homer of the season. The Ravens tagged WC starter Avree Entler with a single run both the second and third innings to build a 4-1 lead after three complete.
Wilmington got one run back in the top of the fourth as Rachel Berry singled to right center scoring McKayla Sites, who entered the game as pinch runner for Olivia Doll after the junior reached base via an infield single. A Lizz Hadley single to center got the tying run on base, but Mollie Moore popped up in foul ground down the left field line to end the inning. The Quakers threatened again in the fifth, but wouldn't score as Archey grounded into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded. Anderson got its fifth run of the game in the bottom half of the inning, but a Judaea Wilson RBI-triple in the sixth made the score 5-3 after six.
The Quakers would pull within a run on an RBI-single from Archey that scored Sam Schwab, but couldn't get the tying run into scoring position as a pop-up to second base ended the game.
Rankin, the home run hitter, earned the win by scattering 10 hits with three walks over seven innings while Entler dipped to 2-2 on the season by also allowing 10 hits with four earned runs and a walk over six innings of work.
Berry finished 3-for-4 for WC in game one while Archey and Hadley both added two hits. Rankin and Hope Smith both went 2-for-3 for Anderson in game one.
in game two, Wilmington got on the board early as the Quakers batted around in the top of the first, tallying five runs on five hits and an error that included RBI-doubles from both Berry and Hadley. Hillary Huffer shut down the Ravens in the bottom of the inning, and Lindsey Carter and Schwab joined the RBI-hit parade in the second.
Trailing 7-0, Anderson would plate three runs in the second and one in the third, but Wilmington got two of those three runs back in the the fourth and added five total runs in the final two innings to seal the victory.
Huffer improved to 3-2 on the season with a six-inning outing that featured 10 hits and five earned runs. Aiyana Hanock pitched a scoreless seventh for the Quakers. The Ravens's starter, Molly Buck, lasted just the first inning and fell to 0-5 as a result. Brook Reaves, Alexis Bean and Makayla Durick all pitched in relief for Anderson with Bean being the only one to not allow a run.
Wilmington pounded out 15 hits in the game with Schwab going 4-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Carter finished 3-for-5 with three runs while Berry had two doubles and drove in four runs. Maddie Schoenradt led Anderson offensively in defeat with a 2-for-3 performance with three RBIs.
The Quakers (10-6) open Ohio Athletic Conference play at Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday.
