WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College softball team rebounded from an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opening loss to sweep Albion College 4-0 and 5-1 in non-conference action from the WC Softball Complex on Sunday.
In the game one win, the Fightin' Quakers struck in the bottom of the first as Megan Crager and Hayley Suchland set the table for Alecia Kemp who doubled to left field scoring Crager. Allison Pierce came up next and hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field that scored Kemp.
Leading two, starter Grace Shell didn't allow a runner to reach second base until the seventh inning. During that stretch, Wilmington gave its starter two more runs of support thanks to an RBI-single to right field from Hayley Suchland in the fifth and an RBI-single to right center from KenDahl Bowles in the sixth.
Albion would get runners on first and second with one out, but consecutive strikeouts from Shell gave the sophomore her fifth complete-game win of the year.
Shell improved to 5-1 scattering six hits in seven innings to go along with eight strikeouts and no walks. Morgan Deckrow, despite a quality start for Albion, took the loss allowing three earned runs on seven hits in six innings.
Suchland finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored while five other Quakers recorded a single hit. For Albion, six Britons had a hit with Lauren Beougher tallying the lone extra-base hit.
In game two, starter Alexis Stringfellow stranded Albion runners at the corners with a strikeout in the second, and Kennedy Clifton delivered a two-out, RBI-single up the middle that scored Shelby Raby in the bottom of the inning.
Trailing, 1-0, Albion once against got a runner to third in the third inning, but a great defensive play from KenDahl Bowles at third base prevented a hit and a groundout to shortstop kept the Britons off the scoreboard. Two innings later, the Quaker put together four hits including a triple from Micalah Hensley that scored two runs and a single from Bowles that plated another. Up 4-0, Abigail Shinkle hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly that scored Je'Taysia Johns to in the bottom of the sixth to pad the lead.
Albion's only offense on the day came in the top of the seventh as Felicia Maximiuk connected on a triple to left center field and scored on a throwing error.
Stringfellow earned her third collegiate win allowing just three hits over seven innings with two walks and four strikeouts. In total, Wilmington's pitching staff allowed just one unearned run in 14 innings on the day.
"Our pitchers did a great job in the circle allowing zero earned runs on the day," Head Softball Coach Beth Floyd said. "Our defense did its job today as well making a couple of diving catches that were spectacular in the outfield."
Eryn VanderVlucht took the loss for Albion allowing five earned runs on a dozen hits.
Bowles finished 3-for-3 in game two with an RBI while Suchland, Pierce and Hensley all added multi-hit contests.
Wilmington (10-4) heads to Berea College for a doubleheader on Tuesday.
