FORT MYERS, Florida – The Wilmington College softball team won its first two games of the season, beating State University of New York at Dehli 19-4 and Nazareth College 7-6 on Tuesday.
In game one, the Fightin' Quakers took a 2-0 lead on a pair of unearned runs in the first. Two innings later, Hayley Suchland went yard, launching a two-run home run over the left center field fence to put WC on top 3-0. The Broncos got a run back on a double in the bottom of the inning, but the first of three double plays turned by the Quakers prevented any further runs from scoring.
Two more runs came across the plate for WC in the fourth on an RBI-double from Judaea Wilson and an RBI-single from Lindsey Carter. Another double play in the bottom half turned by Wilmington had the Quakers up 6-1 after four complete.
A wild pitch and sacrifice fly from Logann Julian in the fifth extended the advantage in the sixth, and after a scoreless sixth for both teams, WC unleashed its bats in the seventh. In total, 13 Quakers came to the plate. Alongside three Bronco errors, eight hits scored 11 runs. Two of those hits left the mark including a three-run home run down the left field line from Claire Scully and a two-run shot from Bailey Hypes to center field. SUNY Delhi would score three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Carter earned a complete-game win, her first win of the season, scattering a hit per inning with four runs and four strikeouts. Mel Papuli dipped to 1-2 with the loss for SUNY Delhi, allowing six earned runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings pitched. Danielle Seymour, who pitched the final 2.1 innings, gave up 11 runs on eight hits, though only three were earned.
Hypes finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored while Lizz Hadley also had three hits in the game. Wilson, Carter and Suchland also had multi-hit contests. In total, the Quakers tallied 17 hits, nine of them extra-base hits, and stole four bases. Seven Broncos all at a single hit in the contest.
In game two, both teams scored a single run in the first, but Wilmington batted around in the second. In total, the Quakers scored five runs on six hits that included a bases-clearing double from Carter, RBI-singles from Suchland and Scully and a sacrifice fly from McKenna Archey.
Down 7-1, the Golden Eagles began chipping away, plating two runs in the third and three in the fourth to pull within a single run at 7-6. Both teams would get runners on second and third with one out in the sixth, but two strikeouts from Wilmington and two popouts from Nazareth kept the score the same. Alexis Stringfellow closed out the sixth and stranded a single runner in the seventh to earn the save.
Taylor Evans, Madi Jursich and Hannah Hall all pitched for the Quakers with Jursich earning her first collegiate win, pitching in relief. Emily Daciw went the distance for the Golden Eagles, allowing 13 hits and seven earned runs with 11 strikeouts.
Carter turned in another impressive offensive performance going 4-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. Wilson and Suchland earn had three hits as the top three in the WC order accounted for 10 of the squad's 13 hits. Hailie Bennett had two hits for Nazareth in defeat.
Wilmington will face the University of Wisconsin-Superior and the University of Maine-Presque Isle tomorrow (Wednesday) at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively.
