Softball Wins Warrior Spring Fling in Arkansas

BOX 1 | BOX 2

Conway, Ark., March 6, 2011 – Freshman Maggie Mullen scored on a wild pitch in the to top of the eighth inning as the No. 19 ranked Washington University in St. Louis softball team posted a 7-6 victory over host Hendrix College in the championship game of the Warrior Spring Fling on Sunday afternoon in Conway, Ark.

Washington U., which dropped a 3-1 decision to Hendrix in the final game of the round robin on Sunday morning, recorded 10 hits in the championship game victory. The Bears scored 38 runs on 43 hits in the four-game tournament.

Mullen was placed on second base in the eighth due to the international tiebreaker rule. She moved to third on sacrifice by sophomore Alex Fjeldheim and then scored on a wild pitch.

Senior Claire Voris went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the win, while junior Alyssa Abramoski was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Sophomore Kathy Peter (2-0) picked up the win on the mound, allowing 10 hits and four earned runs. She also struck out five in eight innings pitched.

The Bears fell behind in the bottom of the first inning of the championship game following a two-out RBI single by Hendrix starting pitcher Jaclyn Herrera. Washington U. answered right back with a run of its own in the second. Voris singled to lead off the second, and then scored following a double by Mullen.

Washington U. got the lead back in the third inning with four runs. Abramoski tripled with one out and then scored after a double by junior Corissa Santos. Senior Ally Berenter walked, and then Voris delivered the big hit of the inning, a three-run home run to centerfield, to make it 5-1.

Hendrix scored a run in the third and fourth inning to cut the lead to 5-3, and then knotted the score in the sixth after a two-run home run by designated player Christina Bylyer.

The Bears answered back with a run in the top of the seventh inning to take a 6-5 lead. Abramoski singled to lead off the seventh, and then moved to second on a wild pitch. She advanced to third after Santos flied to right, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Berenter. Hendrix answered back with a run in the bottom of the seventh on a two-RBI single by Herrera to send the game into extra innings.

Trace Grinnell led off the bottom of the first inning of game one for Hendrix with a home run to centerfield giving the Warriors an early 1-0 lead. The Bears got things going in the sixth following a leadoff bunt single by sophomore Ashley Janssen. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Abramoski, and then advanced to third after Santos reached on an error.

Berenter’s sacrifice fly scored Janssen to knot the score at 1-1, and then Voris doubled to right field moving Santos to third. Mullen walked to load the bases, but Hendrix starting pitcher Ashley Halbert got Fjeldheim to fly out to right field on the first pitch to end the threat.

Hendrix (5-5) answered right back in the bottom of the sixth with two runs. Grinnell reached on an error by third baseman Olivia Cook, and then scored after a double by Halbert. Kaylen Stevenson pinch ran for Halbert, and moved over to third on a passed ball and scored following a wild pitch.

Voris (1-2) took the loss in game one allowing four hits and two earned runs. She also struck out five and did not walk a batter. The Bears had six hits in the defeat, led by Fjeldheim’s 2-for-3 performance.

Washington University (3-2-1) begins a six-day, 10-game road trip, during its Spring Break trip to Florida. The Bears open University Athletic Association (UAA) play on Thursday, March 10, against No. 20 Emory University. First pitch is schedule for 12:30 p.m. (ET) in Altamonte Springs, Fla.