Press Release Written by Sports Information Graduate Intern MaryKate Rumbaugh
NEW CASTLE, Del. – The Wilmington University softball team came away with one win in their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader, winning the first game 3-2 in nine innings, but losing the second, 9-1, in five innings against Georgian Court Tuesday afternoon at Asbury Field.
Game One:
It took until the bottom of the ninth inning for the Wildcats (11-6) to pull away with a 3-2 win over the Lions (18-5) on a sacrifice fly from freshman Kiersten Comer to score the go ahead run.
It was a slow start to the game, as the Wildcats were the first to get on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two outs, Rosa'Lynn Burton got the Wildcats started with a bunt single to the pitcher to give the Wildcats a baserunner. Kiana Broderson-Jones would follow right behind her as she was walked to bring up Lauren Lopez. Lopez singled to the second baseman to score Burton. On the next play, Lopez was picked off at first base, but Broderson-Jones was able to steal home before the final out was recorded to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning.
Through six innings, pitcher Caitlyn Whiteside only gave up two hits to the Lions. It wasn't until with two outs in the top of the seventh that Georgian Court found some momentum to work with. The Lions would get a baserunner, before an error by the Wildcats would score the runner and make it a one run game. The next batter for the Lions singled to center field to bring home the tying run of the game, forcing extra innings.
Neither team would score in the eighth inning, to bring the intentional baserunner rule into place in the ninth inning. The Lions were able to bunt their runner over to third with only one out in the inning, but Whiteside was able to retire the next two batters on a strikeout and a pop up to get out of the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Alyssa Velasquez would be the first batter for the Wildcats. She would lay a sacrifice bunt down to get Annie Davila over to third. Freshman Kiersten Comer would be the next batter, in which she got a ball just far enough into left field that Davila could tag up and score to give the Wildcats the walk off win.
The Wildcats finished with four hits in the game from Burton, Lopez (1H, 1RBI), Comer (1H, 1RBI), and Courtney Dellinger. Caitlyn Whiteside went 9.0 innings, allowing six hits, two runs, one walk, and six strikeouts. Burton's hit was the 200th of the junior's career.
Game Two:
Although the Wildcats had more hits than the Lions in the first game and came out with the win, Georgian Court took advantage of the bats in the second game, scoring nine runs to force the eight-run rule in five innings.
GCU would get their first runs of the game in the top of the first inning on a two-run home run out to right field. Starting off the bottom of the first would be Burton who laid down a bunt to the pitcher, before Kiana Broderson-Jones moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt. Lauren Lopez would step up again for the Wildcats as she would double to right center to score Burton, and make it a 2-1 game. The Wildcats would get four more hits throughout the game, but the Lions would have a big third, fourth, and fifth inning, scoring seven unanswered runs to end the game, 9-1 after just five innings.
The Wildcats had six different players to get at least one hit in the contest, including another hit and RBI from Lopez. Rosa'Lynn Burton had two hits on the day to put her one hit away from tying the all-time record for career hits with 201.
Caitlyn Whiteside would go 2.2 innings, allowing five hits and five runs, before Lexi Baughman came in for the Wildcats, pitching 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and four runs, with one strikeout.
Next Up:
The Wildcats will end their eight-game home stand against Dominican on Saturday afternoon in another tough CACC matchup. First pitch of game one at Asbury Field is slated for 1:00 p.m.