Carly Schoenstein

WOOSTER, Ohio – Gina Pirolozzi gave The College of Wooster an excellent outing in the circle, and Carly Schoenstein smashed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to lead the Fighting Scots to a 3-1 victory over No. 12 ranked DePauw University, in the first game of a North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon. The Tigers won the second game 6-0.

Battling against light rain and a potent Tiger (19-7, 3-3 NCAC) lineup, Pirolozzi allowed just two hits, both singles, over seven innings and struck out three en route to her tenth win of the season.

The Scots took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Lauren Swinehart doubled to drive in Demi Hart, but DePauw responded in the top of the second by plating an unearned run to tie the game.

Wooster appeared likely to recapture the lead in the third frame, when Paige Goldberg and Hart led off the inning with back-to-back hits, until DePauw's ace Emily Dieckmann retired the next three batters in order to escape the jam.

Finally, in the sixth inning, Swinehart got on base with a single, and then Schoenstein followed it up with her first-career home run to put Wooster ahead for good.

The rain began to pour down harder in the second game, which clearly became a factor in the third inning. DePauw was able to score a pair of runs, both unearned, courtesy of a series of Wooster miscues that were brought on by the weather, which gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

The Scots made some noise in the bottom of the third, as Skye Patterson drew a walk and Erica Villa singled to start the inning, but shortly after, a 30-minute rain delay was issued. Once the game was restarted, DePauw was able to get out of the inning unharmed, and then proceeded to allow just two hits over the next four innings on its way to a 6-0 victory.

Offensively, Schoenstein totaled two hits on the day, a home run and a double, while Swinehart, Goldberg, and Hart also collected two hits apiece.

Next, Wooster hosts a doubleheader Tuesday with Denison University (15-11, 2-2 NCAC). The opener is schedule to begin at 3:30 p.m.