FT. MYERS, FL - The Wilmington College softball team opened the 2015 campaign by dropping a pair of games at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic Sunday. The Fightin' Quakers fell to Wisconsin Lutheran, 2-0, in the first game and then lost to Dominican, 6-2.
GAME ONE: WISCONSIN LUTHERAN 2, WILMINGTON 0
Freshman Beth Persicano (Knoxville, TN/Cincinnati Turpin) recorded a strike out in every inning and finished with 10 strikeouts in her first collegiate game. She allowed just two earned runs on eight hits with zero walks in the opener.
"Beth pitched outstanding today," said Wilmington head coach Beth Floyd. "I thought she was very sharp on the mound. She hit her spots, changed speeds; I can't be more pleased with her performance today."
The Warriors scored the only runs of the game in the bottom of the second inning. They got the inning started with a leadoff double, and had Persicano on the ropes with back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases.
After a strikeout, Persicano coerced a fly ball that unfortunately landed for a two-run double.
WLU had an opportunity to play add on in the fifth. A one-out single was followed by a double, but the Fightin' Quakers executed to cut the runner down at home as Hillary Daria-White (Felicity, OH/Felicity Franklin) hit Kerrie Trautman (Hartville, OH/Field), who then threw a strike to Sydney Kelly (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore) at the plate for the out.
Wilmington's best scoring threat came in the bottom of the sixth inning as Daria-White led the inning off with a double. After a failed sacrifice attempt, Edwards blooped a single into left. However, the frame came to a screeching halt as Trautman lined into a double play.
Freshman Whitney Edwards (Frankfort, KY/Franklin County), senior Jess Clutter (Englewood, OH/Northmont), senior Allie Noggle (Ashville, OH/Teays Valley) and Daria-White each had a hit for Wilmington.
GAME TWO: DOMINICAN 6, WILMINGTON 2
The Stars did all of its damage in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring three runs in each to drop Wilmington to 0-2 on the season.
Wilmington scored unearned runs in the second and fourth innings. WC had an opportunity for a big second inning as it loaded the bases with no outs. However, back-to-back strikeouts had the Fightin' Quakers on the verge of coming away empty. But, Edwards drew a two-out walk for the game's opening run.
Freshman Savannah Hooper (Leesburg, OH/Wilmington) scored in the fifth. She beat out a bunt single to start the inning, and moved to second on a sacrifice. Hooper came around to score on a two-out throwing error.
Dominican knotted the game with two runs in the fifth before senior Sarah Maraan (Fairfield, OH/McAuley) came into relieve Trautman with two outs and a runner on second. Unfortunately, it couldn't halt the momentum as consecutive hit batters and a bases-loaded walk allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate. The Stars tacked on three more runs in the sixth inning, and freshman Caitlin Matthews (Dayton, OH/Chaminade Julienne) entered the circle to get the final out.
Hooper finished 2-for-3 and a run scored, while Clutter was 2-for-3 with a double.
Trautman (0-1) took the loss, yielding three runs in 4 2/3 innings with five hits and three strikeouts.
"Kerrie came out and gave us a very strong five innings," said Floyd. "She did a good job of staying ahead in the count, which helped her out a lot."
Wilmington returns to the diamond 1 p.m. Monday to face Geneva, and 3 p.m. to face Pitt-Bradford.
