(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – The Wilmington College softball team had their first sweep in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play this afternoon, beating Capital University 1-0 and 14-6. After a pitcher's duel in game one, Wilmington had 15 hits in the second contest en route to their sweep. They are now 15-16-1 overall this season and 3-9 in the OAC.
Game One – Wilmington defeats Capital, 1-0
The Quakers had a runner at third base in the first after a Judaea Wilson triple, but couldn't bring her home. They had runners at second base in the second and third innings.
Wilmington finally struck for their lone run in the fifth inning. Chloe Dorn walked, Kori Cornett singled, and a sacrifice bunt put them at second and third with one out. Wilson hit a ground ball to second base which allowed Dorn to score and gave Wilmington a 1-0 lead. The Quakers held onto this lead, despite a Comet in scoring position in the final inning.
Game One Notables
- Kori Cornett led the team with two hits.
- Judaea Wilson drove in the lone Quakers run.
- Aiyana Hancock pitched her second complete game shut out of the season, and the first of her career over seven full innings.
Game Two – Wilmington defeats Capital, 14-6 (6 innings)
The Quakers struck first in the bottom of the second inning in game two. After two quick outs, Ashley Hardesty and Rachel Berry hit singles to keep the inning alive. Hardesty advanced to third on the Berry hit. Berry stole second base, and, on the throw, Hardesty came in to score for a 1-0 lead.
Capital answered with three runs in the top of the third to take the lead. Wilmington scored five in the bottom of the frame. They loaded the bases with nobody out, before a Samantha Schwab walk brought in the first run. Claire Scully reached on a fielder's choice for the second run. With two outs, Hardesty and Berry had RBI base hits. The other run scored on a steal that Capital threw the ball to second base on, allowing the Quakers runner to come in.
The Comets immediately answered with three runs to tie the game at 6-6 in the fourth. Wilmington took a 7-6 lead after what looked to be a costly Comets error with two outs. It all ended up being for nothing though, as Capital made several mistakes in the sixth inning, which allowed the Quakers to plate seven runs, with four unearned for the run-rule victory. Hardesty, Kori Cornett, and Schwab all had RBI base hits in the final frame.
Game Two Notables
- Ashley Hardesty led the game with four hits while Rachel Berry had three. This is a career-high for Hardesty and the second time this season that Berry recorded three hits in a game.
- Kori Cornett and Judaea Wilson both had two hits in the win.
- Hardesty drove in three runs, while Samantha Schwab had two RBI.
- Aiyana Hancock picked up her second win of the day, this time in relief. She pitched 2.2 innings, allowing no runs and only one hit with three strikeouts.
What's Up Next
Wilmington travels to Alliance, Ohio to take on the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 P.M.
