Softball Sweeps Case Western Behind Outstanding Pitching and Timely Hitting

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Mount St. Joseph softball program welcomed yet another regional opponent to the Kinder Morgan Softball Complex on Sunday. This time it was the Spartans of Case Western Reserve University, who came south from Cleveland, Ohio to take on the Lions. The Lions would take both games, in game one by a score of 4-2, and 9-3 in game two.

GAME 1- MSJ 4 - CWRU 2
The first game of the day started off a high-level pitchers dual as senior Sarah Miller got the start for the Lions and was opposed by CWRU's senior ace Sidney Brannam. 

CWRU opened the game by scoring a run in the top of the first inning, as Miller a base hit to the first hitter of the game, and she would eventually come around to score on a sacrifice fly. 

Offensively the Lions struggled through the first couple of innings, only threatening to score in the bottom of the third. The game remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth inning when CWRU laced a solo homerun, pushing their lead to 2-0. 

Then came the bottom of the fifth inning, Gracie Woodyard hit a one-out double to center, followed by a walk to Sarah Kardos. Then coach Goderwis turned to her bench and senior Olivia Burger, and boy did Burger deliver. She laced her first hit of the season into right center field on the first pitch she saw, getting the Lions on the board. Freshman Maiah Hodge followed that up with an RBI double into right center, with an error on the play the Lions scored a pair. Alehia Tucker capped off the inning with a double of her own to drive in Hodge.

All told the Lions scored 4 runs on 4 hits in the inning, taking a 4-2 lead into the top of the 6th inning. 

Thats when Miller gave way to Kamry McCool, who continued her dominant start to the 2021 season. She threw the games final two innings not allowing a single baserunner for her first save of the season. 

GAME 2- MSJ 9 - CWRU 3

Game two followed a very similar trajectory to game one, the Spartans jumped out to an early lead. This time they did so with a three-run third inning off of sophomore Gracie Smith. Smith faced just seven hitters over the first two innings, then surrendered a leadoff homerun in the second. Allowing two more unearned runs after the Lions committed a pair of errors. 

McCool again entered the game in relief, this time in the top of the third inning with runners on first and second base. She promptly struck out Amanda Riely to leave the runners stranded.  

A perfect top of the fourth inning for McCool set the stage for one of the biggest innings in the history of the MSJ softball program. The Lions came into the bottom of the fourth inning with only one hit so far in the game and that quickly changed. Elizabeth Ivers led off with a double, followed by a Sarah Miller RBI double, Casey Bramble reached base on a fielder's choice, only to score on a single by Gracie Woodyard. Next up was Sarah Kardos who singled into left to score Woodyard from second. After a pitching change for the Spartans, the Lions continued to hit as Kaci Finchum delivered an RBI single, Hodge walked followed by Tucker single. After a Brooke Otto strikeout, Ivers stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning and again drilled a double down the right field line. This time Ivers drove in a pair, after which Miller also hit her second double RBI double of the inning. Bramble finished off the scoring with an RBI basehit into right field that scored Miller.

All told in the bottom of the fourth the Lions sent 13 batters to the plate, registering 9 runs on 9 hits, leaving one runner on base. They did all of this with CWRU not committing a single error in the inning.

The nine run inning was fantastic, but in reality all they needed was four, because McCool was almost perfect in the game. Finishing the games final 4.1 innings, allowing only 2 hits, not a single run and striking out 8.

UP NEXT:
The Mount (7-5, 0-0 HCAC) will have nearly a week off before they welcome Denison to the Kinder Morgan Softball Complex on March 23. The games are scheduled to get underway at 3 pm!