(RICHMOND, Ind.) The host Earlham Quakers tempered the hot Wilmington Quaker bats in a 3-2 and 3-0 sweep in Richmond, Indiana, on Wednesday.
Wilmington came into the game averaging over 12 hits per game, 24 for a doubleheader. Earlham's pitching kept them at 11 total for the doubleheader, seven in game one and four in game two.
GAME ONE
Earlham came out scoring first, when leadoff hitter Ashley Lewis opened the bottom of the first with a triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch just two batters later.
In the top of the second, Wilmington scored when
Claire Scully hit a double to left-center gap, scoring
Haley Johnson.
Wilmington took the lead in the top of the fourth when
Alasandra Spears hit a single to center, scoring
Samantha Schwab.
Wilmington threatened to open the lead in the fifth inning, with bases loaded and one out. However, the Green Quaker rally was put down by Earlham pitching, getting
Judaea Wilson to hit a grounder back to Earlham Pitcher Kamdyn DePew, forcing out
Rachel Berry at home, followed by a fielder's choice ground ball.
Wilmington held the lead until the sixth inning when Shelby Hill homered to left to tie the game at 2.
Gracey Dearmon, in relief of starter
Makenzie O'Neil, came in with runners on first and third with one out, walked in two batters in ten pitches to end the game 3-2.
O'Neil went 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking three.
Spears went 2-3 with an RBI.
Scully went 2-3 with an RBI and double.
GAME TWO
Earlham pitchers Morgan Cooksey and Shelby Messer combined for the four-hit shutout of Wilmington.
The Quakers threatened to score at points, but Cooksey twice faced five batters in an inning, the most Earlham faced in game two.
The first time was in the top of the second, when the Quakers had two on and one out, but left them on base.
The second time was the top of the sixth, when the Quakers had two on and no outs, but two straight pop foul flies caught by Earlham and a lazy left field fly ended that before it got started.
The seventh started with two on and one out, but a double play ended that scoring chance.
The Quakers did have two chances with runners on third and two outs.
The first opportunity came in the top of the third. Following a
Jocelyn Franz double with one out, a groundout sent her to third before a fly out to the left ended that chance.
In the top of the fifth, Scully, after being hit by a pitch in her at-bat, found her way to third, the second runner to get past second, with two outs before a grounder ended that inning.
Franz had the lone double in three at-bats. Wilson went 1-3, along with Johnson and Spears. Scully had a stolen base.
Belle Baughman started for Wilmington, pitched a solid six innings, giving up three runs, two in her final inning of work, and spread seven hits across the game, and a walk. Baughman struck out four.
Baughman threw two 1-2-3 innings for Wilmington. She also got three straight outs three times after putting batters on: in the first, after yielding two hits to the top of the lineup, scoring the first run for Earlham; and again in the fourth, after yielding a walk.
In the sixth, though, Baughman did get three straight outs after yielding four consecutive hits and loading the bases.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
Wilmington softball will play Wittenberg tomorrow evening, starting at 3:00 p.m., for a doubleheader in Springfield, Ohio.
