Bears End Season With 25-15 Overall Record

WU-COE BOX

Rock, Island, Ill., May 10, 2008 – The No. 5 seed Washington University in St. Louis softball team saw its season come to an end on Saturday with a 7-0 loss to No. 6 seed Coe College in the quarterfinals of the loser’s bracket of the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship in Rock Island, Ill.

Coe, which improved to 33-15, advances to take on the winner of No. 2 seed Wartburg College and No. 8 seed Maryville University on Saturday at 4 p.m. Washington U., which was making its seventh-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, ends its season with a 25-15 record.

Coe put the pressure on the Bears in the bottom of the second inning by scoring two unearned runs off WU starting pitcher Claire Voris. Abbey Wedemeir led off the inning with a single to left field, and then Krystal Kopp sacrificed her to second. A throwing error by third baseman Carter Malouf pushed Wedemeir to third, and then she scored on a squeeze bunt by Amy Hanse.

April Kalmes was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then an error by second baseman Kerry Kreitman allowed C.C. Williams to score to make it 2-0.

Chelsea Zaugg led off the third with a double off the left field fence, and then Abbey Wedemeir followed with a walk. Krystal Kop singled up the middle on the ensuing play to make it 3-0. Despite having four hits in the first three innings, the Kohawks left six runners on base.

Coe broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with four runs on four hits to push the lead to 7-0. Danielle Leavens, Wedemeir and Kopp each had RBIs in the inning.

Voris (15-7) took the loss for the Bears allowing nine hits and five earned runs. Ellie Schultz got the win for the Coe allowing three hits while striking out three. Seniors Laura D’Andrea and Amy Vukovich and sophomore Ashton Hitchcock each had a single in the loss.

The Bears offense was held in the check the entire tournament, recording 15 hits and just one run scored in 21 innings.