Winning 5-4 in Eight Innings and 3-2 in Eight Innings
BEREA, OHIO — The Baldwin-Wallace College softball team swept a nonleague doubleheader today (Friday, April 8, 2005) from Cleveland cross-town rival Case Western Reserve University at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field in Berea. The Yellow Jackets won the first game, 5-4 in eight innings, and then won the nightcap, 3-2 in eight innings.
With the sweep, B-W evens its seasonal record at 9-9 overall prior to travelling to Westerville tomorrow (April 9) for an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. The Yellow Jackets will take a 2-2 OAC slate into that twinbill. With its losses, CWRU is now 4-18 overall.
In the first game, B-W trailed 3-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning when it scored twice to tie the game at 3-3. In the top of the eighth, CWRU tallied a single run to take a 4-3 lead, but B-W scored the winning runs in thebottom of the inning to capture its eighth win of the season.
B-W scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth inning when senior designated player K.C. Young (Olmsted Falls) led off with a single and was sacrifice bunted to second by junior two-time All-American catcher Nicole Loudin (Sheffield Lake/ Elyria Catholic). Young then scored when senior first baseman Beth Rubosky (Roaming Shores/ Grand Valley) doubled. In the seventh, freshman shortstop Vicki Munnings (Stow/ Munroe Falls) singled with one out. With two outs, she scored when junior leftfielder Casey Ward (Amherst/ Steele) tripled. Ward then scored the tying run when senior centerfielder Jackie White (Cleveland/ Parma Holy Name) singled. In the bottom of the eight with two outs, senior pitcher Jeanette Brezina (Parma/ Valley Forge) reached base via a fielder's choice and scored the winning run when Rubosky hit her first career walk-off homerun. The homer was her second of the season.
Offensively, Rubosky led the way with the two late-in-the-game hits. On the mound, Brezina earned the win and improved to 5-4 overall as she allowed seven hits in tossing a complete game. She also struck out three batters and walked a pair.
In the nightcap, CWRU scored in the top of the first and B-W scored once in the bottom of the first to tie it at 1-1. The game remained that way until the eighth inning when CWRU again scored to take a 2-1 lead only to have the Yellow Jackets break their hearts by scoring twice in the bottom of the frame.
In the first and trailining 1-0, Ward led off with a walk, moved to second via apassed ball and moved to third via a sacrifice bunt. She scored on a ground out by Young. In the eighth and trailing 2-1, Brezina began the inning on second base and was sacrificed to third. She scored the tying run when senior second baseman Amy Gladieux (Northwood) singled. Gladieux was then sacrifice bunted to second and scored the winning run on a single by junior rightfielder Ellen Wolke (Middletown/ Fenwick).
Offensively, B-W made the most of its four base hits, including the two in the final frame. On the mound, Young earned her fourth win of the season and improved to 4-5 overall as she allowed five hits and one earned run. She also struck out seven and walked two.
Following its twinbill tomorrow in Westerville, the Yellow Jackets return to Berea until Monday when they travel cross-town in Cleveland to South Euclid where they will play Notre Dame College of Ohio in a nonleague doubleheader at 3:30 p.m.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please call Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, FAX him at 440-826-2329 or e-mail him at kruple@bw.edu.
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