No. 25 Washington U. Softball Wins Two on Day One of UAA Championship
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Altamonte Springs, Fla., March 12, 2013 – The No. 25 ranked Washington University in St. Louis softball team pounded out 22 hits and scored 25 runs in a pair of victories on day one of the 2013 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship Tournament Tuesday in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Washington U. erased a 3-0 first inning deficit in an 11-3 win in five innings over Case Western Reserve University in the opening game, and followed with a 14-6 five-inning victory over Brandeis University in game two.
Sophomore Adrienne Wilson went 4-for-7 with a pair of doubles and eight RBIs in the two victories, while junior Kelsey Neal was 4-for-7 with two doubles and six RBIs and picked up the win on the mound in both games.
#25 Washington U. 11, Case Western Reserve 3 – five innings
The Spartans jumped out in front 3-0 after an inning of play with four hits in its first at-bat. Gena Roberts highlighted the inning for Case with a two-run home run to dead centerfield.
Washington U. answered right back in its first at-bat in the top of the second when junior Maggie Mullen sent a 3-2 pitch over the left field fence for a solo home run. The Bears were not done yet, as White cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to make it 5-3. The Bears scored five runs on four hits in the inning.
The Bears tacked on three more runs on four hits to push the advantage to 8-3 in the fourth. White drove in a run with an RBI single to left and Neal pushed across two runs with a double down the left field line. The Bears sent nine batters to the plate for the second-straight inning and responded with three runs to put the game out of reach. Senior Sondra Polonsky and Neal each added RBI singles in the fifth inning to round out the scoring.
Sophomore Paige Biles (2-for-3, run scored), Mullen (3-for-4, run scored, RBI), Neal (2-for-3, walk, run scored, three RBIs, Polonsky (2-for-4, RBI) and White (2-for-4, run scored, four RBIs) all recorded multi-hit games for Washington U. The Bears had 12 hits as a team in the win and took advantage of two Case errors. Neal allowed five hits and three earned runs and tossed her sixth complete game of the year.
#25 Washington U. 14, Brandeis 6 – five innings
Trailing 1-0, the Bears scored three runs on a pair of hits and took advantage of two errors by Brandeis in the top of the third. Sophomore Sydney Caldwell drove in a run with a two-out single to right to tie the game at 1-1. She advanced to second on passed ball, stole third and then scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Senior Ashley Janssen followed with a walk, and then White doubled off the right field wall to make it 3-1.
After allowing just one hit in the first two innings, freshman pitcher Annie Pitkin got in some trouble in the third as Brandeis sent 11 batters to the plate. The Judges recorded six hits and walked twice in the inning to get the lead back at 6-3.
Washington U. got the bats going in the bottom of the fourth sending 15 batters to the plate. The Bears scored 11 runs on six hits and took advantage of five errors by Brandeis to take the 14-6 lead. Neal and White each drove in three runs in the decisive inning, while freshman Brooke Hofer and Janssen also registered RBIs for the Bears.
Biles (2-for-3, two run scored), Janssen (2-for-2, two walks, three runs scored), Neal (2-for-4, run scored, three RBIs) and White (2-for-3, walk, run scored, four RBIs) all had multi-hit games for the Bears, who pounded out 10 hits in the win. Washington U. also took advantage of seven Brandeis errors. Neal (8-1) picked up the win in relief did not allow a hit in two innings pitched.
Washington University (14-2, 2-0 UAA) continues play in the UAA Championship Tournament with a single game Wednesday, March 14, against No. 4 ranked Emory University. First-pitch is set for 10 a.m. (ET).
Bear Notebook: The Bears have recorded double-digit hits in 12 of 16 games played this season … Mullen’s home run in the second inning of game one was the 18th of her career, tied for fourth in school history … The Bears hit .440 (22-50) as a team with seven doubles in the two games … Biles leads the tournament after day one with a .667 (4-for-6) batting average, while Janssen in first in runs scored (six) and White is tops in RBIs (eight).