softball team and now she stands atop the program's all-time strikeout list. With two quality starts against the College of Wooster, Stark broke the College record for career strikeouts while leading the Ladies to a sweep over the Fighting Scots. Kenyon jumped Wooster in the conference standings with 8-0 (F/5) and 2-1 victories on Friday afternoon.
More importantly than the strikeout record, Stark earned a pair of wins after starting both games of the doubleheader to improve to 11-7 overall on the year. Combined, the junior allowed just three hits and one unearned run through 12 innings of work. She sat down four Fighting Scots hitters in each game en route to jumping to number one in the record book.
Chelsea Delaney began the string of runs that came in bulk during game one with her third home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning. She crushed a towering shot over the left field fence with two outs, scoring Lindsey Susolik and giving Kenyon a 2-0 lead early.
Jane Ghublikian doubled that lead with a two-bagger that plated a pair in the bottom of the fourth. Toni Miller and Hayley Howard came around to score as a result of Ghublikian's seventh double of the season. Kenyon took that lead into the fifth where they plated four runs to force an early end to the contest, 8-0. Delaney began a run of four straight base hits from the middle of the order capped off by Miller's run-scoring base knock. Liz Paterra picked it back up two batters later, plating another with a shot to right field. She was followed by Stark acquiring her second base hit of the game, a two-RBI single that ended the contest.
Game two proved to be a pitcher's duel, though Stark clearly had the edge on her counterpart, Kate Edgehouse. Stark made noise at the plate before even entering the circle for the second time, leading game two off with a triple to right field. She came around to score a few pitches later when Edgehouse let one fly beyond her catcher's reach.
Wooster's Paige Goldberg tied the game with an RBI single in the third, but Paterra's arm prevented the Fighting Scots from taking the lead. Taylor Raybuck was struck down at the plate when trying to score on a ground ball to the right side, but Paterra charged it and came up throwing. Miller crept up the line to force Raybuck to the outside, where she applied the tag just in time.
The next inning provided another type of drama when Stark closed in on the Kenyon all-time strikeout record, resting at 297 set by Denise Darlage '02. She tied the record in the third inning, sitting down Carly Schoenstein. She overtook the all-time mark in the fourth after punching out Wooster center fielder Demi Hart by making her chase a high fastball.
Kenyon scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly ball hit by Susolik. Stark led the inning off with a single and advanced to third after Ghublikian's second double of the day. With zero outs, Susolik lofted a fly ball to shallow left, but Stark was on her horse and sprinted toward the plate. Raybuck's throw skipped in, and Goldberg was unable to hold on to the throw while Stark touched the plate to score the go-ahead run.
From there, Stark went on to retire the Fighting Scots in order in both the sixth and the seventh innings to close out the win, 2-1. She ended the game having retired the last 10 hitters in a row.
On top of her remarkable day in the circle, Stark had one of her best days at the plate, as well. She went 4-for-7 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Ghublikian went 3-for-6 with a pair of ribbies to compliment.
The Ladies' improved their overall record to 19-13 and now stand 4-8 in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings. Their next action will be an out-of-conference doubleheader header against Capital University on Monday, April 21. The series is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. from the KC Softball Complex.
