NEW CASTLE, Del. - - The streak continues.
Today the doubleheader sweep was dominated by the pitching staff, as the Wilmington University softball team took care of Felician College on Wednesday at Asbury Field to extend its program best winning streak to 12 consecutive games.
The Wildcats (16-15, 8-0 CACC) needed extra innings to take care of Felician (4-28, 2-10 CACC), 1-0, in eight innings before getting on the board early and cruising to the game two victory, 7-1. The 12-game win streak is the longest in the program since Wilmington became an NCAA Division II sanctioned team in 2005. The Wildcats had win streaks of nine straight games in 2011 and 2009.
The bats were slow to come around in the first game, as the Wildcats left the bases loaded in the second and fourth innings and had a runner thrown out at the plate to end the bottom of the seventh and force extra innings. In all, the Wildcats left 14 runners on base, but they fell on deaf ears as pitcher Katie Warrington was up to the task in game one.
Warrington threw her third consecutive complete game and her fourth shutout of the season. She has only allowed one run in the past 28 innings pitched, dating back to March 10. She struck out nine Felician batters, giving up four hits and one free pass to improve to 8-6 on the year.
As Warrington kept the Wildcats in the game, the offense began to stir in the seventh inning. With two outs and the bases empty, Kinsley Parker and Jillian Stafford extended the inning by each reaching on an error. The Wildcats put a first and third play on as flex player Warrington took off from first trying to draw the throw. The throw came to the shortstop as Parker took off for home and the winning run, but Felician responded quickly to gun Parker out at the plate.
After Warrington set the Golden Falcons down in the order in the eighth, Chelsea Botsch reached on another error to put the winning run on base. Rachel Painter moved Botsch to third on a single up the middle and advanced to second on the throw. Pinch hitter Kristin Garvin walked to load the bases before Shelby Thompson slapped the ball the other way for a single, bringing home Botsch with the game-winning run.
Felician starter Kristin Tenwolde gave up eight hits and struck out four in the game one loss, allowing the one unearned run.
If game one was a pitcher's duel, game two was for the hitters. Wilmington banged out 10 hits in game two, including two extra base hits.
Stafford provided all the offense that game-two starter Danielle Griffin would need in the top of the first inning. With two outs and Christin Headley and Brooke Berger on base, Stafford hammered a ball that cut through the wind and landed over the fence in left for her team-leading third home run of the season and the 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats added single runs in the second and third innings to make it 5-0 and allow Griffin to go to work. Headley worked a two-out, full-count, bases loaded walk to force in a run in the second, while Stafford welcome new Felician pitcher Tori Bradburn with a leadoff double in the third. With Stafford on third, Painter hit a swinging bunt to no-man's land between the pitcher and third, allowing Stafford to scurry home for the 5-0 lead.
Berger completed the scoring two a two-run single through the left side in the sixth, scoring Jess Hassman and Thompson for the 7-1 lead.
Griffin gave up an unearned run in the fourth, but threw her second complete game of the season, giving up six hits while striking out three batters. She is now 4-3 on the season.
The Wildcats will put their win streak to the test again on Thursday as they head to Philadelphia University for another Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader. Philadelphia is 5-20 overall and 3-9 in the CACC after dropping a pair to Bloomfield on Tuesday. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
