CLERMONT, Fla. - - Playing without two of its captains because of a pair of injuries from Tuesday, the Wilmington University softball team fell 8-1 to Southern New Hampshire and 5-1 to Wayne State (Neb.) on Thursday on day 13 of its two-week Spring Break trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
The Wildcats found themselves short a pitcher and their RBI leader (captains Katie Warrington and Jessica Hassman, seven RBIs), but found themselves in each contest through the first half of both games. Wilmington (4-15) had one inning in each game that got away from itself, leading to the two defeats.
Trailing 3-0 to Southern New Hampshire after the top of the first, the Wildcats responded with a run of their own to stay in the ball game.
Shelby Thompson led off the rally with a single before swiping second to be standing on second with no outs. The junior moved up to third on a passed ball and two batters later scored on a sacrifice fly. Chrisitin Headley got credit for the RBI, putting one deep enough in the outfield to score the speedy Thompson.
Wilmington starting pitcher Jillian Stafford found herself in a jam in the third inning, with two on and no outs. The first two batters reached on a single and a double, but Stafford buckled down to get back-to-back strikeouts to regain control of the inning. She then got the Penmen's Morgan Farmer to fly out to end the inning without allowing a run to cross.
Unfortunately, Stafford would not be able to get out of the fourth inning unscathed. Stafford had two out and a runner on second, but Southern New Hampshire's catcher Christy Jenkins doubled to score the first run of the inning. Cara Daly followed with an RBI single and Tesia Stanasek cleared the bases with a two-run home run to make it 7-1.
The Wildcats picked up seven hits off Penmen starter Rebecca Sherwood, but could only muster the one first inning run. Thompson finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Kinsley Parker added two doubles in game one. Brooke Berger and Kristin Garvin each went 1-for-3 to round out the hits.
Stafford struck out five Penmen batters, but gave up eight runs (five earned) on 15 hits in the loss. Sherwood picked up the win by throwing seven innings with one strikeout.
Again, the Wildcats hung around in the first three frames against Wayne State in the second game of the day, but one inning put the game away for Wayne State.
Trailing 2-0 going into the top of the third, the Wilmington Wildcats cut the lead in half with their lone run of the game. Again it was Thompson who started the rally, getting on base with a one-out single. After stealing second, Headley picked up her second RBI of the day, this time with a double, easily scoring Thompson from second.
But the Wayne State Wildcats put a three spot on the board in the bottom half of the inning to take control of the contest.
The Nebraska team started the rally by putting their first four hitters of the inning on base. Jordan King leadoff the inning with a single and Sani Sandel reached on an error while laying down a sacrifice. Vicki Nielson loaded the bases with another single before Slone Masters brought two runners home with the team's third single of the inning. Brittany Greenwood capped the third inning scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Wilmington had an opportunity in the fifth inning, loading the bases with only one out. Thompson was the catalyst once again, starting the inning with a single and a stolen base. Parker also singled in the inning but Wayne State pitcher Jordan Harris got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning without any damage.
Thompson again went 3-for-4, making her 6-for-8 on the day with two runs and three stolen bases. Headley, Parker, Rachel Painter and Garvin each added a hit apiece to make it seven total hits in game two. Danielle Griffin was saddled with the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings. She struck out two Wildcats while not allowing a walk.
The Wildcats will move over to Hancock Park in Clermont, Fla., on Friday, as they will play a doubleheader against Minnesota's Bemidji State University starting at 9 a.m.
