Wooster's Playmaking in Full Display as Scots Sweep Allegheny Behind Heavy Hitting, Defensive Gems

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster softball team opened its doubleheader against Allegheny College with a cleanly played 4-0 win before taking the nightcap 8-3 behind a combined six runs in the fifth and sixth innings on Wednesday afternoon at Galpin Park.

In the opener, Wooster's (16-18, 7-5 North Coast Athletic Conference) Samantha Tromba knocked in the game-winning run in the second inning on a single through the left side, bringing home senior Linea Brouse, who tallied her 64th career run to move into a tie for eighth-place all-time in program history.

After allowing two on in the top of the first, starting pitcher Jenna Kendall cruised through the next four inning, facing 14 total batters, striking out two in that span in addition to receiving some tremendous defensive help, most notably from first-year Marina Roski in the top of the fifth, as she displayed a deft backhanded pickup from deep in the infield before firing to first base for the final out of the inning.

Providing an insurance blanket for the Fighting Scots in the bottom of the fifth was junior Maddy Chase, who jacked a three-run homer to left field for her second home run of the season after battling off an 0-2 count, scoring Tromba and first-year Taryn Kohlman while Kendall sealed up her 15th career win, good for a tie for seventh-place all-time.

In the nightcap, Allegheny (6-22, 1-9 NCAC) hopped on the scoreboard with a one-run top of the first. Wooster responded, however, with a run of their own in the bottom half as senior Stephenie Little smacked a hard-hit RBI double through the middle to score Chase, who walked to leadoff.

The Scots double downed in the second with a solo home run from sophomore Chelse Copley, as she sent it over the left-field fence for her third homer of the year and fifth of her career.

At pitcher, Chase did well to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third to keep the lead. That edge was severed, however, in the fifth as Allegheny saw the game tied up at 2-2 behind a RBI single from Taylor Massart.

Level but not down, Wooster retook the lead – this time for good – in the bottom half of the fifth behind RBI singles from Little and classmate Brouse, who, of note, made her 142nd and 143rd career appearances while clad in plaid, the eighth-most in program history.

After a routine top of the sixth, Chase walked before scoring on an error while Little brought in her second RBI in as many innings on a double up the middle – her second two-bagger of the game, scoring sophomore Bridget Serrurier who reached on a walk after Chase.

Not yet done, Brouse poked one up the middle to score an additional two to cap off a four-run sixth inning, all occurring with two outs down.

The Gators tacked on one run in the top of the seventh but the comeback attempt ended there as Chase improved her record to 9-9 and logged her 27th career victory, five back of alumna Gina Pirolozzi's 32 and a top-four spot in the program's career wins list.

In addition, with three RBI on 3-for-4 hitting in the closing game, Little moved into sixth-place all-time in career hits with 124 and into a tie for sixth-place all-time in the career RBI with 68. On top of that, the seniors two doubles moved her into a tie with teammate Kendall for fourth-place all-time in career doubles with 26.

Up next, Wooster travels for a doubleheader at Ohio Northern University (23-9, 9-5 Ohio Athletic Conference) on Monday, April 24, with first pitch slated for 3:30 p.m.