NAPLES, FL – The Wilmington College softball team continued their trend of splitting games at the 2016 Gene Cusic Classic Wednesday at the North Collier Softball Complex. Wilmington claimed the first game, 5-4, and then lost the second game, 2-1.
WILMINGTON 5, BETHANY LUTHERAN 4
The Fightin' Quakers survived a late Vikings charge as freshman Megan Joyner (Worton, MD/Kent County) came on to get the final two outs to seal the win over Bethany Lutheran.
BLC jump started with a double and run-scoring single to end the shutout bid. A one-out single scored another run, and with an error on the play, runners were on second and third. A walk loaded the bases, setting the tone for a two-run singled that chased starter Becca Carpenter (South Charleston, OH/Southeastern).
Joyner entered with the tying run on second and the winning run on first, and that is where they stayed. She coerced a pop up and foul out to seal the win. It was Joyner's first career save.
Senior Megan Warren (Grove City, OH/Grove City) provided the much needed cushion with a solo homerun in the top of the inning, giving Wilmington a 5-0 lead.
Wilmington took the lead in the top of the first inning as sophomore Savannah Hooper (Leesburg, OH/Wilmington) scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Jessie Stewart (Fredericktown, OH/Highland).
Once again Hooper was in the middle of a rally as she kicked off the fifth with a single, and stole second. The commotion on the bases caused enough distraction that by the time Stewart strolled to the plate, the Fightin' Quakers had bases loaded with no out. Stewart drew an RBI walk, and Warren smacked a two-run double to push the lead to 4-0.
Hooper finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Warren was 2-for-4 with three RBI, a double and homerun.
Carpenter (2-1) was cruising through six innings as for the second time this season she was limiting an opponent to just one hit for 18 outs. She finished with four earned runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.
CLARK 2, WILMINGTON 1
In a closely contested game, the outcome ultimately came down to a couple pitches as Wilmington fell to Clark, 2-1.
The Cougars took the lead in the second inning as their leading hitter Rachel Kraytenberg hit a solo homerun to straight away center on a 0-2 pitch, and then she blooped a single into left in the third for an RBI.
Meanwhile, WC was struggled at the plate, managing just one hit through five innings.
A one-out single by Hooper and a two-out single by pinch hitter Chandler Fields (Delaware, OH/Rutherford B. Hayes) pumped some life into the Wilmington dugout. Hooper came around to score WC's first run, scoring from second on an error by the third baseman.
Clark threatened to get the ball back in the sixth as they put runners on second and third with one out before Carpenter came on to relieve Joyner. The sophomore reciprocated the magic Joyner pulled out in game one by inducing a pop up and strikeout the CU pinch hitter.
Wilmington threatened in the seventh as sophomore Whitney Edwards drew a one-out walk and sophomore Kerrie Trautman (Hartville, OH/Field) singled. A sacrifice bunt by freshman Taylor Hill (New Concord, OH/John Glenn) put the tying run on third for the team's leading hitter. However, bang-bang play at first on a grounder ended the game.
Hooper finished with two of Wilmington's five hits, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
Joyner (1-2) allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings on seven hits and five strikeouts.
Wilmington (3-3) wraps up their spring break trip with a 9 a.m. game against Rockford and a 11 a.m. game against Nazereth.
