BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College softball team swept an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with Wilmington College today (Friday, April 22) at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field. B-W is now on a five-game winning streak.
The Yellow Jackets won the first game, 5-0, and captured the nightcap, 3-1. The Yellow Jackets are now 21-8 overall and 9-5 in the OAC. The Quakers are now 13-17 overall and 2-12 in the OAC.
In the first game, B-W gained a 1-0 advantage in the second inning when freshman designated hitter Tabitha Murray (Mogadore/ Field) singled, stole second, advanced to third via a sacrifice and scored when junior second baseman Katie Finley (Vermilion) singled her home. The lead grew to 2-0 in the third when freshman leftfielder Ashley Elber (Huron/ Edison) smashed her fourth homerun of the season. The score advanced to 4-0 in the fourth when Murray doubled, was sacrificed to third and scored on a single by junior RF Sarah Baker (Mentor/ Lake Catholic) singled. After Finley sacrificed Baker to second base, freshman Samantha Brown (Kent/ Field) drove her home with a single. The lead grew to 5-0 in the fifth when Elber doubled, advanced on a fly out to RF and scored when Murray had her third straight hit.
At the plate, the Yellow Jackets outhit the Quakers, 10-3. Murray led the way by going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a stolen base and a run batted-in. Elber and Finley each had two hits. Elber scored twice and drove in one run and Finley had an RBI. On the mound for BW, freshman Justina Wise (New London) started and pitched the first six innings and allowed three hits, struck out four and walked one to improve to 11-4 overall. Senior Mackenzie Rohrbacher (Sandusky) pitched a final hitless inning and struck out one.
In the second game, Wilmington gained a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before BW answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 1-1. In the third, freshman catcher Meghan Kossow (Tonawanda, N.Y.) walked, moved to second base on a wild pitch, to third on a passed ball and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of senior 1B Katrina Resek (Strongsville). The Yellow Jackets scored the winning runs in the fourth when after one out, freshman 3B Kaity Mullen (Avon Lake) singled and then rode home when Baker slammed her first homer of the season.
At the plate for the Yellow Jackets, five separate players each had one hit and included Resek, Elber, Murray,Mullen and Baker. Kossow, Mullen and Baker scored runs and Resek drove in one and Baker a pair. On the mound for B-W, Murray started and tossed a seven-inning complete-game five-hitter as she allowed one run (earned), struck out seven and did not walk a batter as she improved to 5-0 this season.
B-W is back in action on Monday, April 25 when it travels to University Circle to take on Case Western Reserve in a non-conference doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. The Yellow Jackets return to OAC play on Wednesday, April 27 when they travels to Westerville to play Otterbein University in two games 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 Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter athttp://twitter.com/bwathletics
