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Kenyon College Athletics

Softball

Delaney, Stark spark Ladies in sweep of Gators

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
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GAMBIER, Ohio – Playing their final two home games of the 2014 season, the Kenyon College Ladies swept Saturday's softball doubleheader from the Allegheny College Gators. With the help of a wild pitch, the Ladies took game one, 2-1, and then concluded the day in dramatic fashion with a two-run, walk-off homer from Chelsea Delaney, who powered the Ladies to a 5-4 win.

The sweep moved Kenyon's overall record to 21-15 and its North Coast Athletic Conference mark to 6-8. It also was just the second time in program history that Kenyon was able to pull off the regular-season sweep of the Gators, who fell to 13-22 overall and 8-8 in the NCAC.

Game one featured a pitching duel between Kenyon junior Maddy Stark and Allegheny junior Caitlin Nealer. Stark, who displayed better control, got the win after striking out three and allowing just four hits. Nealer fanned seven for Allegheny, but control issues ended up costing her the game.

With the score tied 1-1 and one out in the bottom of the fourth, Delaney got aboard via a fielder's choice. Danielle Elizarraraz then singled through the left side, advancing Delaney to second base. Senior Molly Goolman pinch ran for Delaney and came around to score on a couple of wild pitches from Nealer. That run, along with Lindsey Susolik's first-inning home run, was all the Ladies needed for the win.

Nealer and Stark went at it again in game two, but this time around was a different story. Batters from both teams were used to seeing pitches from the two. After a combined total of nine hits in game one, the two teams racked up 17 hits in game two.

Kenyon got on the scoreboard first, again in the bottom of the first inning. It was also via the long ball. This time around it was Jane Ghublikian who laced a two-run shot. That lead held up until the fourth inning, when the Gators finally caught up to Stark and hit her around for three runs.

The Ladies got one of those three runs back in the bottom of the fourth, to knot things up at 3-3. The run, scored by Meredith Williams, was shuttled across the plate on an RBI single from Stark.

The score remained tied until the seventh and final inning. In the top of the inning. Alexis Ryan bunted her way on base for the Gators, she was sacrificed over to second, and then moved to third on a single from Belle Mazurik. Ryan and Mazurik then pulled off a successful double steal to put the Gators ahead, 4-3.

In the bottom of the seventh, Susolik drew a walk for the Ladies. Delaney then stepped to the plate and drilled the game-winning homer. The shot was her fourth of the season and the 16th of her career. Overall, Delaney was 3-for-7 Saturday with a run scored and two very important RBI. Susolik was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and four walks. Over the team's last ten games, Susolik has hit .400 (10-for-25).

Susolik, Delaney, Stark, and the rest of the Ladies will get right back to action Sunday as they play out a make-up doubleheader at Denison University. The first of those two games will get underway at 1 p.m.
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