CLERMONT, Fla. - - The Wilmington University softball team opened the 2012 season in style on Saturday, banging out 13 hits behind Katie Warrington's complete game shutout to pick up the Wildcats first win, an 8-0 victory over Michigan-Dearborn, during the teams' 23-game nonconference trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
Warrington, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's reigning Pitcher of the Year, threw six shutout innings while striking out seven batters and only gave up two hits to earn her first victory of the season. Wilmington (1-0) got eight runs off 13 hits, and put it away with a four-run fifth inning behind Brooke Berger's 4-for-4 day at the plate.
NAIA's Michigan-Dearborn fell to 1-3 on the season, and picked up hits by Danielle Keys and Bridget Miller, but couldn't scratch a run across off a dominate Warrington.
The Wildcats got all then runs they would need in the second inning, as Kristin Garvin led off the inning with a single down the left field line. Three batters and two outs later, Jessica Hassman singled into right center, scoring Garvin from second for the 1-0 lead.
Wilmington added to the score in the next frame, as Shelby Thompson started the inning with a single up the middle off Michigan-Dearborn starter Lindsay Colasinski. Berger got her second hit of the night, and picked up her first RBI of the season with a run scoring triple. But UMD would get out of the inning without further damage, as Berger was cut down at the plate at the next at-bat.
The 'Cats blew open the game with a fourth run fifth, led by Berger's second triple of the game. Thompson began the inning with an infield single, and came across on another Berger triple, this time to right center. Kinsley Parker knocked in the second run of the inning with a single down the right field line, and eventually game around to score on Hassman's two RBI single. Garvin also scored from second on the play.
Wilmington added two runs in the 6th inning to finish off the scoring as, Thompson and Berger both scored on unearned runs.
Berger scored two runs and knocked in two runs, while Thompson added three hits and three runs on the afternoon. Hassman finished with two runs and three RBI's, going 2-for-2 from the eight hole.
Warrington faced 25 batters, while allowing only three to reach base on her watch. Wilmington also committed four errors on the afternoon, but Warrington backed the team up and got out of every jam.
The Wildcats return to action on Sunday, playing a doubleheader on the second day of their Florida trip. They will open with Flagler College at 1 p.m. and finishing the day against Tampa at 3 p.m.
