GREENCASTLE, Ind. – The College of Wooster softball team kept its season alive in the first round of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday with a come-from-behind 7-6 win over top-seeded and sixth ranked DePauw University.
Wooster then fell to Hiram College 3-0 for its first loss in the double elimination tournament.
Defeating a top-10 ranked team gave Wooster, the fourth seed in the tournament, one of the program's best wins of all-time. It also broke a 17-game skid against the Tigers.
Senior Molly Likins started things off with a home run in the first, which gave her 85 career RBI, setting a new program record.
Unfortunately, the Tigers got to starter Addie Tagg, putting up five runs on the junior as she failed to record an out. Insert Rachael Dudziak who limited the damage and got out of the inning.
DePauw put up another run in the third before Wooster made its move with a five-run fourth when DePauw went to its bullpen. Likins started the action, coming through with an RBI double.
With the bases loaded, Destany Blake recorded an RBI after reaching on a fielder's choice. Anna Norby brought another home after being hit by a pitch, and Brooke Swain later doubled down the right field line to score two and tie the game 6-6.
Dudziak kept the Tigers scoreless through the fifth and the sixth. Then in the top of the seventh with two outs, sophomore Stephanie Griffin-Sanchez homered to left-center to put the Scots up.
DePauw threatened in the bottom of the inning. With runners on first and third with two out, Dudziak got DePauw's final batter to pop up to shortstop to end the game.
Dudziak pitched seven innings and allowed one run on seven hits. She moved to 6-8 on the year.
Wooster gave DePauw senior Cami Henry just her sixth loss on the year (23-6) and the Tigers' seventh overall. Both Likins and Griffin-Sanchez finished 2-for-4.
Wooster saw Hiram in game three after the No. 2 Terriers bested No. 3 Denison 12-4 in six innings.
Hiram's Jeskari Rodriguez shutout the Scots, limiting them to just four hits. Swain had two of those hits from the top of the lineup. Griffin-Sanchez and Gabby Lakes recorded the other two hits.
Hiram (23-13) scored with a solo home run in the second inning, Then, they produced two more runs in the fifth on an error and a single.
Wooster (18-22) will play at 10 a.m. Sunday against the winner of the DePauw/Denison game played later on Saturday.