WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Washington & Jefferson College softball team returned to action and dropped a pair of games Thursday at the PFX Spring Games at the Diamondplex Complex in Polk County.
Game One – Wisconsin Platteville 8, W&J 0 (6 Innings)
The Presidents fell by an 8-0 score to Wisconsin-Platteville in Thursday's opener. Platteville tallied four runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the third inning to take control. A two-run double was followed by a two-run home run for the Pioneers.
Platteville added two more runs in the fourth and two additional runs in the bottom of the sixth to close out the victory.
W&J put two runners into scoring position in the top of the second but couldn't push a run across.
Peyton Eckenrode (York Haven, Pa./Northeastern) singled and advanced into scoring position in the third but was also stranded.
Kasey Scears (Washington, Pa./Chartiers Houston) paced the Presidents offensively with a multi-hit effort.
Sydney Petrowski (Lemont Furnace, Pa./Connellsville) was saddled with the loss. The junior tossed four innings. She is 2-2 on the season in the circle.
Game Two – Oberlin 5, W&J 3
W&J was plagued by some defensive miscues in game two. The Red and Black committed four errors, which gave Oberlin three unearned runs. The Yeowomen jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the Presidents committed a pair of errors in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Presidents used a
Mackenzie Boyd (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) double to score pinch runner
Kate Barone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) and cut the deficit to 2-1.
Kyra Blauth (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) followed with a single up the middle but W&J was unable to add on.
The Red and Black loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning but Oberlin escaped with the 2-1 lead intact. Oberlin added a single run in the sixth inning and two more in the top of the seventh to stretch the lead to 5-1. The Presidents tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, as they placed the tying run into scoring position.
Julia DiPietro-Harvey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) produced a one-out single before stealing second base. The freshman then came around to score on a RBI double by Blauth.
Emily Schmucker (Latrobe, Pa./Latrobe) followed with a single to put runners on the corners with two outs. Eckenrode smacked a RBI double to right center to score Blauth and put a pair of runners in scoring position with the deficit at 5-3. However, Oberlin was able to induce a pop out to end the threat and the game.
Blauth turned in a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Boyd and
Austine Kinney (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) added two hits apiece.
Jordan Hinz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) suffered the tough luck loss despite allowing just two earned runs on five hits in 7.0 innings. Hinz holds a 3-2 record this season.
On Deck: W&J wraps up its 2023 Spring Break trip with a pair of games Friday in Winter Haven, Florida. The Presidents face Carleton (2 p.m.) and Gustavus Adolphus (4:30 p.m.) at the Diamondplex Complex.
