NEW CASTLE, Del. - - The 10-game winning streak came to a halt for the Wilmington University softball team, as it split with Goldey-Beacom on Wednesday afternoon, winning game one, 12-0 (5 innings), before losing the nightcap, 2-1 (9 innings), in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action at Asbury Field.
The team's winning streak turned to double digits with a 12-0 win in game one as the Wildcats (23-13, 11-6 CACC) collected 12 hits including two doubles, a triple, and a home run. But they couldn't come up with the timely hit in the nightcap and fell to the strong pitching of the Lightning's (8-20, 7-7 CACC) Kylie Doyle.
The bats came out of the gates hot for the Wildcats, as they scored once in the first but then poured it on with three runs in the second, three more in the third, and finished with five runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Kaitlyn Slater led the charge in the opener, batting a perfect 3-for-3 with a two-run double in the third and a three-run homer to dead center field in the fourth. She had five RBI in the game while scoring three runs as well. Slater is now tied with classmate Colby Wyatt for the team lead with four homers on the year.
Rosa'Lynn Burton was in the thick of things again as well, batting 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. She scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first before tripling in Alyssa Velasquez in the bottom of the second. She knocked in Slater in the third with an RBI single before capping her day with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fourth.
That was more than enough for starter Caitlyn Whiteside as she tossed her ninth complete game shutout of the season, this one of the five-inning variety due to the mercy-rule. She struck out three while not allowing a walk and only giving up three hits. She improved to 13-5 on the year with the win.
The nightcap was a completely different game for the teams, as Doyle was locked in a pitching duel with the Wildcats' Brooklyn Lachette. The Wildcats out-hit the Lightning in the nightcap as well, but couldn't find the timely hit as they left six runners on base throughout the game.
Lachette went the first six innings and struck out five batters, but allowed an unearned run to come across in the top of the fourth. The Lightning's Shelby Murphy led off the inning with a double and eventually came home to score on a squeeze play. The Wildcats played the squeeze perfectly, but the slide of Murphy knocked the ball out of the catcher's glove at the plate, putting the visitors in front, 1-0.
The Wildcats answered right back in the bottom of the fourth, as Danielle Bradley singled up the middle to start the frame. Meghan Brown doubled to the fence in left center, easily chasing Bradley home with the tying run, 1-1.
The Wildcats left a runner at third in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. The action didn't pick up until the ninth inning with the international tiebreaker. The Lightning were able to successful execute their squeeze play in the top half while the Wildcats weren't able to get the job done in the bottom of the ninth.
Brown was the only Wildcat to pick up multiple hits in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Whiteside pitched the final three innings for the Wildcats and allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out four. But Whiteside was saddled with the loss, falling to 13-6 on the year.
The Wildcats will take Easter Weekend off form game play and return to action in six days with another CACC action on the road. The Wildcats will travel to Felician on Tuesday for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch.
