WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College softball team played to a split with visiting Thiel College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon under sun-splashed skies at Brooks Park.
The Tomcats roared out to a fast start before collecting a 10-6 victory in game one. W&J bounced back in game two with a 6-4 win to earn the split of Sunday's doubleheader in Washington.
Thiel 10, W&J 6 (Game One)
The Tomcats jumped all over the Presidents as they led 8-1 after three innings of play. Thiel recorded six runs on sit hits as they sent nine batters to the plate in the third. W&J scored its first run of the day in the bottom of the frame when
Peyton Eckenrode (York Haven, Pa./Northeastern) singled home
Kaylee Witner (Freeland, Pa. / MMI Preparatory School).
Emily Schmucker (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) smacked a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. W&J trailed 10-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning but scored a run on a RBI single by
Mackenzie Boyd (Beaver, Pa./Beaver), who drove in
Kasey Scears (Washington, Pa./Chartiers Houston) who doubled to lead off the inning.
W&J scored three times in the bottom of the seventh. The Presidents tallied a run on a RBI single by Schmucker that made it 10-4. Boyd followed with a two-run single that plated
Julia DiPietro-Harvey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) and Eckenrode to trim the deficit to 10-6. The Presidents brought the potential tying run into the on-deck circle but were unable to rally all the way back.
Witner finished with a three-hit effort to pace the Presidents' offense in game one.
Julia DiPietro-Harvey, Eckenrode, Schmucker and Boyd all finished with a pair of hits.
Sydney Petrowski (Lemont Furnace, Pa./Connellsville) started and suffered the loss in the circle.
W&J 6, Thiel 4 (Game Two)
A four-run fifth inning was the difference for the Presidents in the game two victory. W&J tallied a run in the bottom of the first inning to stake claim to an early lead. The Presidents manufactured the run, as J. DiPietro-Harvey walked and advanced to second on a sac bunt. After stealing third base, J. DiPietro-Harvey scored on a sac fly by Eckenrode.
The Tomcats tallied three unearned runs in the top of the second to take a 3-1 advantage.
W&J, who was hitless until the fifth inning, broke out for four runs on four hits in the frame. The first four Presidents reached base in the inning.
Jordan Hinz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) helped herself with a two-run single to right field that scored
Kate Barone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) and Boyd. Two batters later, J. DiPietro-Harvey gave the Presidents the lead for good with a RBI single up the middle that scored
Austine Kinney (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick).
Aliya Schraeder (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) helped the Red and Black tack on another run, as the sophomore came through with an RBI single through the left side to score Hinz to make it 5-3.
Thiel seemed poised to answer right back in the top of the sixth. A one-out RBI double cut the Tomcats' deficit to 5-4 and put a pair of runners in scoring position. That;'s when W&J summoned Witner out of the bullpen for the second time during Sunday's twinbill. The move paid dividends, as Witner induced an infield pop out to short before striking out the next batter to end the threat with the W&J lead intact.
W&J added a much needed insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. J. DiPietro-Harvey worked a bases loaded walk with two outs to strengthen the lead to 6-4.
Witner then retired the Tomcats in order in the top of the seventh for her first collegiate save.
Hinz picked up the victory in game two. The junior allowed just one earned run in 5.1 innings of work. Hinz struck out four and walked two.
Kinney registered the lone multi-hit game for W&J in game two.
On Deck: W&J hosts Saint Vincent for a conference doubleheader at Brooks Park on Tuesday, April 4. Start time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
