GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College softball team nearly swept Saturday's doubleheader with a pair of seventh-inning rallies againstthe No. 22-ranked Case Western University Spartans,. In game one, the Ladies scored twice in their last at-bat to claim a 3-2 victory. In game two, they scored twice again in their final at-bat, but came up just short in an 8-7 defeat.
The split moved Kenyon's record to 13-7 and put Case at 12-2.
Trailing 1-0 after five innings of play in game one, the Ladies scored their first run of the day in the bottom of the sixth. Following two Kenyon strikeouts, freshman
Grace Finn doubled to deep left center. That was the Ladies' first hit of the game.
Emily Buckwalter, another Kenyon freshman, then singled up the middle to score Finn, tying the game at 1-1.
Case regained the lead in the top of the seventh with a bases-loaded walk, but the Ladies had a response.
In the bottom of the seventh,
Keely Sweet started things off for Kenyon with a single to right center.
Juliana Delsante laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Sweet to second. With one out, Sweet advanced to third base on a wild pitch.
Nicole Horita then came to the plate and reached base via a Case error, one that allowed Sweet to score the tying run. The next batter,
Amanda Coyle, was hit by a pitch and then
Madi Maldonado ripped a single through the right side, allowing Horita to round third and score the winning run.
Coyle, a senior, pitched all seven innings for the Ladies and improved her season record to 4-1. She gave up two earned runs on eight hits and six walks.
Game two started with two runs from Case in the top of the first inning, followed by three runs from Kenyon in the bottom of the frame. After a Maldonado leadoff walk, the Ladies put together three straight hits with an RBI double from Buckwalter and an RBI single from
Lauren Graf. Two batters later, Delsante singled through the right side to score Buckwalter, giving the Ladies a 3-2 edge.
The score remained that way until Case first baseman Grace Tritchler smashed a one-out RBI double to left field that knotted the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning. Kenyon had yet another answer. In the bottom of the inning, the Ladies loaded the bases with a single and two walks.
Grace Pilz then ripped a ground ball that the Spartans' shortstop couldn't handle. Two runs came home on the play and the Ladies moved ahead 5-3.
The lead changed again in the sixth inning, after the Spartans scored three times on three hits and three walks.
Keely Sweet, Kenyon's starting pitcher, was charged with all three runs and didn't make it out of the inning. Freshman
Jace Juliano took over and closed out the game for the Ladies.
After laboring through the end of the sixth, Juliano gave up a two-run homer to Melissa Cuellar in the seventh inning. That blast put the Spartans ahead 8-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kenyon loaded the bases with one out. Maldonado then reached on a fielder's choice that scored Delsante from third. Finn walked to re-load the bases and Buckwalter drew another walk to force a run home and pull the Ladies within one run. That, however, was the end of the Ladies' rally. Case coaxed a ground out to end the game and avoid the Kenyon sweep.
The Ladies had just four hits in game one, but managed nine in game two. Finn, Delsante, Buckwalter, Graf and Maldonado each had two hits on the day. Finn and Buckwalter both scored twice. Pilz, Maldonado and Buckwalter all had two RBI.
The Ladies will return to their home diamond tomorrow to take on the Marietta College Pioneers in another non-conference doubleheader.
