BEREA, OHIO — The Baldwin-Wallace College softball team successfully opened its 2007 season today (Sunday, March 4) with a pair of victories at the annual Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Yellow Jackets, 2-0 overall, defeated Emerson (Mass.) College, 10-9, in its opener and then beat Bethany (W.Va.) College, 9-4, in its second game. It was the first of 10 games in five days in Florida. The opening win was highlighted by a game-winning single by sophomore Rachel Krause (Parma/ Valley Forge) in the bottom of the seventh inn ing and some solid relief pitching by freshman Danielle Litton (Lodi/ Cloverleaf) in the sixth and seventh innings.
"This was a good start for us," said veteran Yellow Jacket Head Coach Joe Yocabet, who did not make the trip due a recent illness. "I am proud of our women for travelling all the way to Florida and winning two games on their first day outside this spring. It just shows that they are ready to play some good softball this year."
B-W, coming off of a 19-18 record a year ago, scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to erase an early, 2-0 Emerson lead. The Yellow Jackets added two more in the third and three in the fourth to build a commanding 8-3 advantage entering the fifth. Emerson tallied twice in the fifth and four more in the sixth to chase B-W starter and sophomore Jessica Shaffer (Brookfield) and tie the score at 8-8. That set up Litton, who shut down Emerson with a 1-2-3 seventh, and led to Krause's game-winning hit.
The three-run fourth was highlighted by sophomore Caitlin Myor's (Cheffield Village/ Elyria) three-run homer. In the seventh, junior centerfielder Carrie Hoffer (Galion), who led B-W with three base hits, led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Following a strikeout and a hit-batsmen, Krause delivered the game-winner and made Litton the winner (1-0) on the mound. Litton struck out one batter in an inning and one-third of relief.
In the nightcap, B-W scored three runs in the first, one in the fourth and two more in the sixth to build a 6-0 lead before Bethany chased start and winner and sophomore Katey Munshower (Natrona Heights, Pa./ Highlands). Freshman Meghan Ronk (Crestline) entered the game in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out a Bethany batter for her first career save. In the seventh, B-W scored three insurance runs to give Ronk some breathing room in the bottom of the frame.
Freshman third baseman Jessica Esch (Worthington) led the way on offense with three base hits and Krause, senior All-OAC catcher Molly Sersig (West Salem/ Northwestern), sophomore catcher Shae Monschein (Wellington) and junior second baseman Amanda Birch (Cambridge/ Meadowbrook) each had two hits. One of Sersig's hits was a three-run homer in the first. She led the team with four runs batted-in and Birch had three RBI. Despite not getting a win on the mound, Munshower struck out five and did not allow a base-on-balls.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Joe Yocabet, you can call him in his office at 440-826-3398, FAX him at 440-826-2192 or e-mail him at rcochran@bw.edu.
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