Kasey Fiedler

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster racked up 18 hits during its doubleheader against Hiram College, which included three doubles, a triple, and two home runs, but the Terriers were equally as impressive at the plate and ultimately edged out the Fighting Scots 8-5 and 7-6 in high-scoring North Coast Athletic Conference competition Saturday at the softball field at Galpin Park.

The action was originally scheduled to take place at Hiram (7-13, 2-4 NCAC), but its field was deemed too wet to play on, so the games were moved to Wooster (10-17, 2-6 NCAC).

The Scots' offense was as potent as it has been all season, especially in the second game, when eight different players got on base and six scored a run.

Surprisingly, the game started as a pitching duel, with Hiram holding a slight 1-0 lead entering the fourth inning. That's when the hitting picked up, as Kasey Fiedler smashed the first home run of her career, a two-run shot to left field, which put Wooster ahead 2-1.

Hiram went to work to go up 5-2 entering the sixth, but Wooster answered back, as Demi Hart led off the frame with a standup triple and Stephenie Little drove her in with a single to make it 5-3.

At that juncture, Julia Williams entered the game as a pinch runner, and she eventually came around to score on a passed ball which drew the Scots within one. Finally, Paige Goldberg hit an RBI single to tie the game at 5-5, with Hiram due up in the bottom of the sixth.

The Terriers then put the pressure back on Wooster, as they tacked on two more runs to take a 7-5 lead. The Scots nearly completed a comeback, though, as Georgia Hill started the seventh inning by blasting her fourth homer of the spring over the left field fence to make it a one-run game. The next two Wooster batters got on base, with Hart drawing a walk and Little hitting a single, but Hiram retired the next three batters in order to escape the jam and notch the victory.

In the opener, Wooster scored twice in the second and third innings to take a 4-3 lead, but in the bottom of the third, the Terriers produced four runs to go up 7-4, which proved to be the difference in the end.

Hill drove in three of Wooster's five runs in the first game and on the day went 4-for-7 with a double and a home run and four RBI. Little also was a factor, going 3-for-7 with two RBI, while Skye Patterson went 3-for-6 and Goldberg and Jenna Kendall recorded two hits apiece.

This doubleheader was certainly not one to write home about for either pitching staff, as Wooster and Hiram combined to use six pitchers with only two strikeouts thrown on the day.

The Scots will take a break from conference play when it visits Marietta College (16-10) for a twin bill tomorrow at 1 p.m.