WILMINGTON, Ohio – Muskingum University swept the Wilmington College softball team 12-4 and 5-2 in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) twinbill on Tuesday.
Game one started nearly an hour late due to rain while the nightcap finished in five innings due to darkness.
Muskingum's offense wasn't affected by the near-hour delay as the Fighting Muskies plated three runs on two hits in the first inning of game one. Katie Eshelman tripled down the right field line to score the first run while a Cara Taylor single plated two more. The Quakers loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but a groundout to the pitcher ended the threat.
A walk, an error and two singles ended WC starter Izzy Rothrock's afternoon, and the visitors plated five runs on four hits to take an 8-0 advantage. The hosts failed to score in the bottom of the second, but Aiyana Hancock pitched around a single in the top of the third. WC used a two-out rally in the bottom of the third as McKenna Archey singled home two runs, scoring both Olivia Doll and Lindsey Carter.
An inning later, WC got within four as Samantha Schwab singled home Judaea Wilson and Carter scored on a fielder's choice the following at bat. With its lead cut in half, Muskingum ensured the game would end in six innings as Eshelman doubled home two in the fifth. One inning later, a solo home run from Haley Hawk was followed by an RBI-single from Claire Gulliams later in the sixth.
Hannah Smith improved to 10-0 despite walking eight batters in six innings. Rothrock ripped to 1-3 on the season while Hancock was the Quakers' most effective pitcher, tossing 3.1 innings with five strikeouts and two earned runs.
Offensively, Guilliams finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored while Taylor was 3-of-4 with three RBIs and Eshelman had a double and a triple. Schwab and Carter both had multi-hit contests for WC.
In the nightcap, Muskingum scored one run in the first and three in the second that included a steal of home, forcing Wilmington Head Coach Beth Floyd to go to her bullpen early. Avree Entler relieved Alexis Stringfellow and got the final out of the second inning.
The freshman pitcher would keep the Muskies from another big inning, allowing one run on five hits over 3.1 innings. Trailing 4-0, the Quakers got on the board in the third with an RBI-single from Logann Julian that scored Bailey Hypes, but Muskingum starter Madelyn Thomas got out of a bases loaded, one-out jam with a foul out and a strikeout. WC would plate the final run of the game on a wild pitch in the fifth.
Taylor Stemmerding, Sarah Piteo and Taylor Gallentine all had two hits for Muskingum while Carter went 2-for-2 for the Quakers.
Wilmington (10-10, 0-4 OAC) heads to Ohio Wesleyan University tomorrow (Wednesday). First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
