GAMBIER, Ohio – After The College of Wooster pulled away late in game one for a 5-1 win, the Kenyon College softball team bounced back to split the North Coast Athletic Conference series on Sunday afternoon behind junior Austen Whibley's solid performance in game two. The Ladies took the second contest 8-3.  
 
GAME ONE
 
Through the first five innings, Wooster pitcher Maddy Chase and Kenyon slinger Keely Sweet were outstanding.
 
Chase retired the first 10 Ladies batters and allowed just one to reach scoring position. For Sweet, she allowed a trio of Fighting Scots to reach scoring positions but nothing came through for the visitors. Kenyon's sophomore right-hander also managed to induce three foul-ball outs and three groundouts.
 
After five scoreless frames, Wooster finally broke through in the sixth. Marina Roski singled to start the inning and two batters later, Heidi Likins walked. In the next at-bat, a grounder to the left side from Morgan Bailey slipped by both Madi Maldonado and Amanda Coyle and allowed pinch runner Samantha Tromba to score.
 
Down 1-0, Kenyon was able to tie it as Maldonado cranked a one-out shot to right field. Grace Finn doubled after that, but the Ladies weren't able to bring her home.
 
With the score tied at 1-1, Wooster exploded for four runs in the seventh. Roski had an RBI single through the left side and three batters later, Bailey connected on a bases-clearing double.
 
Then in the bottom of the seventh, Chase struck out the Kenyon side to preserve the 5-1 win. Chase struck out a half-dozen by game's end, induced 15 combined fly-outs and groundouts and watched as 72 of her 101 pitches went for strikes.
 
GAME TWO
 
Wooster's pitching wasn't nearly as good as Kenyon got out to a 5-0 lead after two innings.
 
In the first, in what should have been a routine groundout, Juliana Delsante's chopper was picked up a third, but a throw was never made and Finn scored. Grace Pilz followed with a bases-loaded walk scoring Emily Buckwalter.
 
After Whibley retired the Fighting Scots side in the second, the Ladies added three more runs. With two out in the frame, Buckwalter singled through the right side plating Finn. Two batters later, Kathryn Riggs smacked a two-run double to left center.
 
The Fighting Scots responded with their first pair of runs an inning later. Emmalee Cooke delivered an RIB triple while Roski smacked a shot off Whibley in the circle plating another run.
 
Following a scoreless fourth, Chase smacked a solo home run to center field bringing the count to 5-3. Wooster came close to plating its fourth run in the sixth, however, Whibley struck out Likins and got a groundout to end a scoring chance for the visitors.
 
Then in the sixth, Kenyon's bats pushed the game out of reach. Delsanted hit a two-run two bagger to right field which brought home Riggs and Finn. Senior Nicole Horita rounded out the scoring with a single through the left side.
 
In the circle, Whibley tossed her first complete game of the year, struck out four and let her defense work as Kenyon turned 10 groundouts. Offensively, Lauren Graf, Buckwalter, Delsante and Horita each collected two hits.
 
Tomorrow, the Ladies will host Capital University (6-16) for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.