Marina Roski

Olivia Johnson

The College of Wooster softball team capped off a competitive opening week to the season with an impressive victory over nationally-ranked Ramapo College to improve to 3-5 heading into the Fighting Scots' final week of Spring Break action in Florida.

Wooster opened its spring break schedule with an 8-0 win over Centenary (N.J.) University (0-6). The Scots tacked on six runs in the first two innings, including a four-run second inning which featured respective doubles from sophomore Morgan Bailey and first-year Heidi Likins. Bailey went on to score the game's third run of the game while Likins drove in two of her game-high three RBI.

First-year Marissa Norgrove and senior Maddy Chase each pitched three innings, with Norgrove earning the win as part of her first collegiate appearance.

In the nightcap against William Paterson University (9-5), the Scots stormed back to tie the game with a six-run sixth inning but succumbed to a walk-off double from William Paterson's Sydney Pace to lose 7-6.

As part of that impressive sixth inning, Wooster batted through the order, starting with a leadoff double from first-year Emmalee Cooke, who went on to round home after respective singles from Likins and sophomore Marina Roski.

After a Roski run with still no outs and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Savanna Hitlan to score Likins, first-year Rachel Ginsburg laid down an RBI bunt single before Chase brought in two more with her second double of the game.

The following day, Wooster fell 7-4 to then-23rd-ranked Kean University (9-1), who moved up in this week's NCAA Div. III coaches' poll to 17th, before losing 6-4 to Marietta College.

Against Kean, the Scots took a 3-2 lead into the top of the sixth inning. Chase started for Wooster, leading the Scots with one run allowed through the first four innings.

Roski continued right where she left off last year with her first homer of the season in the bottom of the first before going yard again in the top of the fifth with another solo shot.

First-years Norgrove and Olivia Johnson earned time from the circle as Kean responded with four runs in the sixth.

Later that day against Marietta (7-7), Roski went 3-for-4 while both Chase and Cooke tallied two RBI. Additionally, Ginsburg went 2-for-3 while senior Anna Blake went 1-for-1 in a pinch-hitting role.

The Pioneers shot out to a 6-1 lead through five innings before Wooster got back into contention with a three-run seventh inning, all coming with two outs down.

Blake got the Scots rolling with a single to the shortstop. After Ginsburg reached on a single to third base, Chase recorded her second career triple, scoring two in the process before later crossing the plate for the Scots' fourth and final run.

The same recipe came into play against Springfield College (9-1) on Friday, with the Scots going scoreless through the first five innings before totaling four in the final two innings, including three in the seventh.

Down 5-1 to start the seventh, Blake and Ginsburg opened with a walk. Chase advanced everyone on a single to center field before Blake recorded her second run of the season after an error by the shortstop. Up next, Roski doubled down the left field line to bring in one while Likins hit into a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat.

With two outs down, Wooster left runners on second and third as Springfield's Talia Loda struck out first-year Alexis Bauer to win 5-4.

Wooster garnered its second victory of the year later that day with an 8-1 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran College (5-5). Johnson earned her first collegiate win after allowing six hits and one run in five innings of work while striking out three.

Tied at 1-1 through four innings, the Scots were aided by two errors in the fifth as Wooster took advantage and tallied four runs. Blake, Chase, Cooke, and Roski all scored in the fifth while Norgrove, Chase, and Cooke totaled Wooster's three sixth-inning runs.

Cooke went a perfect 4-for-4 against Wisconsin Lutheran, followed by Likins' 3-for-4 showing and Chase's 2-for-4 performance, both of which were RBI doubles.

Wooster opened Friday with a 6-5 eight-inning loss to the State University of New York at Oswego (6-4). Johnson and Norgrove combined for three runs allowed in 7.2 innings of work, while Cooke, Roski, and junior Chelsea Copley each went 2-for-4.

Chase led all Scots with 3-for-4 hitting, and Likins and Copley combined for four RBI. The Scots opened with two runs in the first and third innings to take a 4-3 lead after three. Chase opened the seventh inning with a single before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Cooke. Then, Roski connected on a single to right center to drive Chase home and go up 5-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Oswego tied it at 5-5 with no outs, but Norgrove came in and recorded a pick-off at third before forcing two groundouts to head into extra innings.

After a scoreless top of the eighth, Oswego's Carly Lawless singled to right field and score Sarah McCullough, who was placed on second.

In Wooster's 8-5 win over 15th-ranked Ramapo College (8-4), Roski turned in her second two-homer game of the season and recorded a career-high six RBI while Chase went 4-for-4 at the plate.

Johnson allowed two earned runs and struck out four in five innings of work before Norgrove came in for two innings to log her first collegiate win.

The Scots took a 2-0 lead in the first after Roski went yard to bring in Chase, who reach on a lead-off single up the middle.

Ramapo retook the third in the top of third with a three-run inning before Wooster responded with a sacrifice fly from Roski to tie it at three. In the fourth, Johnson and Hitlan both walked before advancing to second and third on a bunt single from Ginsburg. Up next, Chase doubled to left center to drive in two and take a 5-3 lead, a lead which Wooster held until the sixth inning when Ramapo tied it a 5-5 through the top half of the inning.

Roski stepped up in the bottom of the sixth with her fourth home run of the season, scoring Chase and Ginsburg in the process as Wooster held on for its first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since defeating 14th-ranked Wittenberg University last season.

Up next, the Scots play Wesleyan (Conn.) University on Sunday, March 18, at 11:30 a.m. at Clermont, Fla.