Gina Pirolozzi

Behind dominant starting pitching and aggressive base running, The College of Wooster softball team has gotten off to a 5-3 mark at the halfway point of its annual spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla.

The Scots got the season started by shutting out Nichols College 2-0, thanks in large part to pitcher Gina Pirolozzi, who allowed just four hits and struck out a career-high 13 batters. Lauren Swinehart put Wooster ahead with a solo homerun in the sixth inning, and Pirolozzi added an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI single.

Fellow pitcher Jenn Horton picked up a victory later that day, as she struck out three batters in the circle and also drove in the go-ahead run in the fourth inning to edge out Finlandia University in a one-run game (2-1).

Wooster dropped to 2-2 after enduring narrow setbacks against New Jersey City University (4-3) and Richard Stockton College (2-0), but then bounced back in a big way with three straight wins.

The winning streak began against St. Lawrence University, which saw the Scots explode for seven runs in the fourth inning and earn an eventual 8-1 triumph. Newcomer Skye Patterson went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, and Pirolozzi struck out seven en route to her second complete-game victory.

Next, Wooster used a three-run third inning to come from behind and upend Albright College 4-3. The Scots stole six bases in the game, which was just one shy of tying the program record.

Finally, the Scots blasted Massachusetts College 10-0 in a run-rule shortened game, as they scored nine runs in the first inning and then allowed Pirolozzi's pitching to seal the deal. Offensively, Swinehart and Paige Goldberg each drove in two runs, and Erica Villa and Demi Hart also recorded an RBI.

Wooster dropped its most recent game 2-1 to Polytechnic Institute (N.Y.), and now stands at 5-3 on the season.

With half of the spring break trip in the books, Pirolozzi is 3-1 with 33 strikeouts and a 0.81 ERA. Horton has also been excellent, sporting a 2-2 record, 16 strikeouts, and a 1.17 ERA.

On offense, the Scots have gotten key contributions from several first-years, including Hart, who leads the team with a .389 batting average and four doubles, and is tied for the team lead in RBI (4). Goldberg is hitting .360 and paces Wooster in stolen bases (7) and runs (7), while Patterson is at .304 with three RBI.

Wooster is also getting production from its veterans, as two-time all-conference pick, Villa, ranks second with a .375 batting average, and Swinehart has driven in four runs and swiped four bags.

Perhaps most remarkable, the Scots have stolen 24 bases in just eight games, after stealing 37 in 34 games last season. The team record is 49 which came in 2005.