WILMINGTON, OHIO – The Baldwin Wallace University softball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at Wilmington College. The Quakers won the opener, 5-1, on a walkoff grand slam homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Yellow Jackets captured the nightcap, 10-2 in six innings.
With its split, BW is now 14-13 overall and 8-4 in the OAC. Wilmington is 13-16 overall and 4-8 in the OAC.
In the first game, the Quakers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and the game stayed that way until the top of the seventh inning when BW scored to tie it at 1-1. Wilmington ended matters with a walkoff grand slam homerun in the bottom of the seventh with two outs to earn the 5-1 win.
The BW hitters were led by senior shortstop Lauren Feciuch (Kent/ Field) as she had two base hits in three at-bats. Sophomore right fielder Alison Fiorucci (Seven Hills/ Holy Name) scored the lone run and had a double.
On the mound, freshman Samantha Dostall (Oberlin/ Firelands) pitched six and two-third innings, allowed seven hits, five runs (all earned), struck out a career-high six Quakers and walked three. She took the loss and fell to 3-3 this season.
In the nightcap, the Quakers again jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but BW would make sure there were no late-inning heroics as it scored twice in the second and three times in the third and fourth to build an 8-1 lead. A Wilmington run in the bottom of the fifth closed the gap to 8-2. BW added two more runs in the top of the sixth to make it a 10-2 score. The Quakers responded by loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but could not score and bringing an end to a game decided by the 8-run rule.
The BW hitters were led by Feciuch, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI; freshman center fielder Sydney Kimball (Brecksville/ Brecksville-Broadview Heights), who was 2-for-4 with two RBI; and junior first baseman Mackenzie Brua (Avon), who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
On the mound, freshman Erica Morgan (Brook Park/ Midpark) started and pitched six innings, allowed five hits, two runs (both earned), struck out a career-high eight Quakers and walked three as she improved to 7-2 overall. Her seven wins lead the Yellow Jackets. Morgan also helped her own cause as she had a double, scored a run and had an RBI in two at-bats with a walk.
BW is back in action on Tuesday, April 15 when the Yellow Jackets host OAC rival Ohio Northern University at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field at 3:00 p.m.
FOR MORE BW 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 BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
