Extra-Bases Key Game One Win, While Scots Turn to Small Ball in Night Cap to Sweep Mount Union

The College of Wooster softball team utilized a full offensive arsenal to sweep aside the University of Mount Union in its home-opening doubleheader 7-5 and 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Galpin Park in Wooster, Ohio. In game one, a pair of home runs led the way, while fundamental small ball made the difference in the decisive bottom of the sixth inning in the nightcap.

In the opener, Wooster (8-10) senior Jenna Kendall helped her cause in the circle with a second-inning, one-out double that tied the game at one. In fact, double marked the first of six extra-base knocks the Fighting Scots had in the game.

Wooster took command with five runs in the fifth, and that made it 6-1 at the time. Junior Maddy Chase sparked the rally with a single through the left side of the infield and moved up a base on sophomore Chelsea Copley's sacrifice bunt. Then, a trio of extra-base hits capped the inning with first-year Marina Roski finding the alley in left center for a one-out RBI double prior to senior Stephenie Little bringing her in on a two-run homer. Two batters later, fellow senior Rylee Bouillion toed the chalk with a two-run double down the left field line.

In the next inning, Copley drilled a solo home run, and the occasion marked the first time Wooster's recorded multiple home runs in a game since the Scots hit a pair against Saint Joseph College (Maine) on March 11, 2015.

Then in the seventh frame, Kendall froze Mount Union's Brooke Cox for a game-ending called-third-strike with the tying run in scoring position to pick up her fourth win of the season.

In the nightcap, Chase led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle and came in two batters later on a Roski RBI base knock on the middle to stake the Scots to the early 1-0 lead. In fact, Roski later turned into the table-setter in the sixth inning when she drew a leadoff walk prior to Little punching a single through the left side. Two batters later, pinch-runner Anna Blake beat out a throw at the plate on sophomore Bridget Serrurier's suicide squeeze that made it a 2-1 game.

Next, the small ball continued as Kendall again helped her cause in the circle by lifting a fly ball deep enough to plate pinch-runner Autumn Brostek and give Wooster a two-run cushion.

 Chase toed the pitching plate in game two and scattered three hits in five innings of work before giving way to Kendall, who earned her second win of the day with two innings of one-hit relief.

Offensively, Little led the way with a 3-for-6 afternoon to go along with three RBI. Chase joined Little with three hits on the day while Bouillon, Kendall, Roski, and Serrurier each finished with two RBI.

Morgan Riley led Mount Union (7-11) in game one with a 3-for-4, 2 RBI performance while Cox went 2-for-3 at the plate in game two.

Notable, the wins marked the first two in series history against Mount Union, as the Scots were 0-6 all-time against the Purple Raiders prior to today.

Next, Wooster opens North Coast Athletic Conference play at DePauw University (2-11) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.