BEREA, OHIO-- The Baldwin-Wallace College softball team swept a doubleheader against Notre Dame College (Ohio) today (Wednesday, March 31) in its home opener at The Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field in Berea.
The Yellow Jackets won the first game, 6-4, and captured the nightcap, 7-5. In both games, B-W scored the winning runs via homeruns, including a walkoff two-run homer by senior third baseman Megan Coyne (Valley City/ LaGrange Keystone) in the second contest.
With its sweep, the Yellow Jackets are now 10-5 overall and travel to Delaware, Ohio to play Ohio Wesleyan University for a doubleheader tomorrow, Thursday, April 1 at 3:30 p.m. and end the week by hosting its Ohio Athletic Conference home opener against Marietta College on Friday, April 2 at the Fairgrounds Field at 3:00 p.m. With its two losses, NDC is now 7-14 overall.
In the first game, the Yellow Jackets gained a 4-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the second inning as Coyne led off with a single. She moved to third when sophomore pitcher Sarah Baker (Mentor/ Lake Catholic) doubled to left center field. Coyne scored and Baker advanced to third on a single by junior 1B Katrina Resek (Strongsville). After Resek stole second base, Baker scored and Resek advanced to third on a groundout. Resek then scored on a single by sophomore 2B Katie Finley (Vermilion). Finley then advanced to second on a single by senior leadoff hitter and shortstop Mallory Kobak (Independence), to third via a wild pitch and scored when junior leftfielder Chelsea Saunders (Medina/ Highland) singled.
NDC would come back to tie the game at 4-4 with a pair of runs in each of the top of the fourth and fifth innings. B-W would take the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth when junior catcher Tanya Davis (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) hit her fourth homerun of the season and 13th of her career to move into fourth place all-time at the College. The Jackets added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth via an unearned run.
At the plate, B-W outhit NDC, 8-5, with eight separate players each recording a base hit. On the mound, Baker improved to 7-2 this season as she allowed the five Falcon hits, four runs (two earned), struck out four NDC batters and walked two.
In the nightcap, NDC garabbed a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first, and B-W came right back with two of its own in the bottom half as Saunders singled, moved to second on a Davis single, to third when Coyne walked and scored when Baker walked. Davis then scored via a fielder's choice play.
The Falcons then grabbed the lead at 3-2 with a run in the third and made it 4-2 with another in the fourth. B-W got one run back in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 4-3 on Coyne's first homer of the nightcap, her third of the season. But NDC again regained a two-run lead at 5-3 with a run in the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, B-W tied the game with a pair of runs as Resek led off with a single, moved to second on a single by sophomore CF Meredith Fogg (Sandusky/ Senior) and scored when Finley laid down a sacrifice bunt that turned into an error and allowed Fogg to go to third. Fogg then scored the tying run on a groundout by Kobak.
In the bottom of the seventh, Davis led off with a single and advanced to second via an error. Then Coyne stepped up to the plate and hammered a "no-doubter" to left center field for the game-winner to make a winner out of Baker (8-2 overall), who came on in relief.
At the plate, Davis led the way with three hits, Coyne had two hits, scored three runs and drove in three, and Resek had a pair of hits. On the mound, junior Mackenzie Rohrbacher (Sandusky/ Senior) started and pitched the first four innings, allowed nine hits, four runs (all earned), struck out four and waked two. Baker pitched the final three innings, allowed three hits, one run (earned), struck out two and walked just one.
Following its doubleheader against Marietta this Friday, B-W resumes its schedule on Thursday, April 8 at non-league foe Ursuline College in a 3:30 p.m. twinbill and next week by playing twice at OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University on Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m.
FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.