NEW CASTLE, Del. - - In a rematch of last season's East Regional Tournament matchup, the Wilmington University softball team split a doubleheader with Adelphi, winning the opener 4-3 before falling in extras, 6-5, in the nightcap at Asbury Field.
The Wildcats (13-7) were able to hold off a late charging Panther (6-11) team in the opener, but didn't have the same fate in the nightcap before falling in extra innings. The Wildcats stranded 17 runners on base in game two, including the bases loaded three times.
Game One:
Trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, the Wildcats put up three runs to take a 4-2 lead.
Rosa'Lynn Burton started the rally with a one out triple to left center. Lauren Lopez squeezed her in while an error put the freshman on second base. Mirabella Klebart followed with another one out triple to right field, bringing in Lopez for the 3-2 lead. Makayla McCarthy followed suit with a double to the gap in right center, easily scoring Klebart for the 4-2 advantage.
Wilmington starter Caitlyn Whiteside left a runner on in the sixth and ran into trouble in the seventh. An error put the leadoff batter on and two batters later the Panthers had runners on the corners. An RBI single brought the Panther to within a single run, and a sacrifice bunt put the tying and go ahead runs in scoring position. But Whiteside nailed down the last out of the game, picking up a game-ending strikeout.
Makayla McCarthy and Alyssa Velasquez led the offense with two hits each, while McCarthy, Lexi Baughman, Burton, and Klebart all had extra base hits.
Whiteside struck out two batters while allowing three unearned runs on 10 hits to improve to 6-3 on the season.
Game Two:
The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead in game two before the Panthers made a late-game comeback.
Rosa'Lynn Burton put her speed on display in the bottom of the first inning. She started the inning with a single through the left side and then stole second base. Lauren Lopez laid down a sacrifice bunt and Burton not only took third, but kept on running home, beating the throw from first base for the 1-0 lead.
With the game tied at 1-1, Annie Davila gave the Wildcats the lead once again in the bottom of the second. Davila hit a double to deep center field, chasing Keara McCarthy all the way around to score from first base.
Adelphi tied the game in the top of the fourth with a one-out single but the Wildcats were able to regain the lead in the sixth. Burton came up big again in the sixth, hitting a two-out single back up the middle to score Jazmeen Llamas from second. Lauren Lopez added an insurance run with another two-out single to right center, plating Velasquez for the 4-2 lead.
But back came Adelphi, as a lead off walk in the top of the seventh came around to score with one out. Now with two outs, a ball snuck inside the third base bag and down the line for a double, bringing around the game-tying run, 4-4.
Makayla McCarthy walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but she was stranded at first as they game went to extra innings.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, the Panthers collected a two-out single to score their runner in the top of the eighth. Burton and the Wildcats answered by beating out an infield single to shortstop, bringing in the tying run, 5-5. An error extended the inning and loaded the bases, but a ground ball to third base ended the chance of a walk-off.
The Wildcats again loaded the bases in the ninth inning with a sacrifice bunt and two intentional walks. Jordyn Virden chopped one to third and the Panthers made the play at the plate for the second out before Alyssa Velasquez grounded out to short.
Adelphi scored in the top of the 10th inning on a two-out fielding error. The runner rounded third and was able to sneak under the high throw at the plate for the 6-5 lead.
With the top of the order up for the Wildcats, Burton started the 10th with a liner over the shortstop. Burton kept motoring and turned it into a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs. After an intentional walk to load the bases, the Wildcats struck out and then grounded into a game-ending 5-3 double play.
Burton went 4-for-6 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Lopez batted 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Alyssa Velasquez was the final Wildcat with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Makayla McCarthy went all 10 innings for the Wildcats, striking out four while allowing six runs (two earned) on eight hits, falling to 6-4 on the year.
Up Next:
The Wildcats return to CACC play but take to the road as they head to Chestnut Hill on Tuesday afternoon. The first pitch of the doubleheader is set for 2:30 p.m.
