BEREA, OHIO-- The Baldwin-Wallace College softball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with rival Heidelberg University this afternoon (Tuesday, April 20, 2010) in Tiffin. This was the fourth doubleheader in the last four days for B-W.
The Yellow Jackets won the first game, 1-0, behind the 4-hit pitching of sophomore Sarah Baker (Mentor/ Lake Catholic). In the nightcap, the Student Princes won, 6-4.
With its split, the Yellow Jackets are now 19-14 overall and 5-7 in the OAC and next play on Saturday, April 24 when they travel to Wilmington, Ohio for an OAC twinbill against the Wilmington College Quakers at 3:30 p.m. With its split, Heidelberg is now 20-10 overall and 6-6 in the OAC.
In the first game, Baker stymied the Student Princes on four hits while striking out three batters and walking two as she improved to 16-7 this season and moved within one win of the B-W single-season record of 17.
The Yellow Jackets scored the game's only run in the fifth inning when senior rightfielder Lauren Sabolik (Strongsville) walked, moved to second on a single by senior shortstop Mallory Kobak (Independence), to third on a single by junior LF Chelsea Saunders (Medina/ Highland) and scored via a sacrifice fly by All-OAC and All-Central Region catcher Tanya Davis (Hinckley/ Medina Highland).
Heidelberg threatened in the bottom of the seventh, getting a runner as far as second base before Baker struck out the final two batters to record her 16th win this season against seven losses. The hitting attack was led by Kobak and Saunders as each had a pair of singles.
In the nightcap, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Kobak had an infield single, stole second for her 33rd stolen base of the season, moved to third on a groundout and scored via a Davis sacrifice fly. After the Student Princes tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the first, B-W regained the lead at 2-1 in the third when Kobak reached base via an error with two outs. She then stole second for her 34th steal of the campaign to tie her own school single-season record of 34 and increased her B-W record for career steals to 68 in two seasons and scored via a Saunders single.
Heidelberg came back to take the lead at 4-2 with three runs in the bottom of the third and added two more in the fourth. B-W answered with two runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by Davis, her team-leading seventh of the season. She is now third all-time on the B-W career homeruns list with 16. However, B-W could not manage another run in the final two frames and came away with a split on the day.
On the mound, Baker started and pitched the first three and one third innings, allowing five runs (all earned) on seven hits and took the loss. Junior Mackenzie Rohrbacher (Sandusky/Senior) came on in relief the pitch the final two and two thirds and allowed one run while striking out five.
At the plate, Davis led B-W with three hits in four at-bats and had three RBI, while Kobak had two steals and three runs scored.
Following its trip to Wilmington on April 24, the B-W women return home and face OAC rival Otterbein College in a Seniors' Day doubleheader on Wednesday, April 28 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field at 3:30 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.
