Maddy Chase

The College of Wooster softball team dropped a pair of two-run decisions to North Coast Athletic Conference foe Wittenberg University on Sunday afternoon at Springfield, Ohio.

Senior Maddy Chase struck out a game-high six batters in 5.0 innings of work in Game 1 and allowed one run in the process while going 2-for-3 from the plate.

Chase, the second-leading hitter in program history, logged her second hit of the game with a single to leadoff the third inning. Next, sophomore Marina Roski was hit by a pitch to put Chase in scoring position, but consecutive fly-outs from junior Chelsea Copley and first-year Heidi Likins kept the advantage in favor of Wittenberg (23-15, 15-1 NCAC), who earlier tacked on the game-winning run off a sacrifice fly in the second inning.

Sunday's Game 1 was primarily a pitcher's duel, especially throughout the fourth and fifth innings. During the stretch, Chase struck out two batters and induced three groundouts while the Tigers pulled off a 1-6-3 double play in the fourth. In the sixth, a two-out single from Wittenberg's Olivia Hopkins brought in an insurance run while the Fighting Scots (12-26, 4-12 NCAC) went down in order in the seventh.

Wooster's offense bounced back early in Game 2 as the Scots took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third. Senior Anna Blake drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Then, first-year pitcher Olivia Johnson laid down a sacrifice bunt to put Blake on third before first-year Rachel Ginsburg reached on an error at third base. Next up, Chase singled to right field and advanced to second to score Blake. Wooster added its second run thanks to an RBI single from first-year Emmalee Cooke, who after stealing second went on to score on an RBI single from Roski.

After the Tigers responded with two runs in the bottom of the third, it was again Hopkins coming through offensively for the league's top team, as she belted her team-leading fifth home run of the season to go up 5-3 in the fifth.

Chase cut the deficit to one (5-4) in the top of the sixth with an RBI single to score sophomore Samantha Tromba, but the Tigers matched that with a run in the bottom half of the frame to end Wooster's conference schedule with a 6-4 loss.