MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan softball team dropped both ends of a NESCAC West Division doubleheader Saturday at home against Little Three rival Williams. The Ephs won 2-1 in game one and took game two 10-1 in six innings.
Mara Kipnis had the big hit in game one as she smashed a two-run home run over the left field fence in the seventh, breaking up a sensational outing from
Revi Brown '23 who had thrown six shutout innings prior to the Kipnis blast. Williams' bats came alive late in game two as a six-run fifth inning, combined with a four-run sixth put the game out of reach for the Cardinals.
Wesleyan (1-11, 1-9 NESCAC West) will finish off the regular season on Sunday with a single game at Williams (11-0, 11-0 NESCAC West) who look to complete an undefeated spring season.
Highlights Game 1 (L, 2-1):
- A week removed from pitching 13.1 combined innings with no walks and one earned run allowed, Brown was sensational once again as she tossed her third complete game of the season and limited the Ephs' lineup throughout game one
- Williams put runners in scoring position with no outs in both the first and second innings but came away with no runs in both as Brown worked her way out of jams in both
- Sophia Sciarappa '22 drilled a liner that got past the center fielder, rolling all the way to the fence which she legged out for her first triple of the season and the third of her career but the Cardinals were unable to bring her home as Kirstin Mapes got Alexis Campbell '22 to strikeout
- Both pitchers dominated the middle innings as just one runner reached scoring position combined between the two teams up until the top of the sixth where Williams loaded the bases only for Brown to come through in the clutch once again, striking out the next batter and inducing a lineout to second to end the Ephs' threat
- Kipnis picked a great time for her first home run of the season as she launched a two-run bomb for the first runs of the game
- In the bottom of the seventh, Brown helped her own caused and lifted her first career home run out to left center to make it 2-1 but that was it for the Cardinal comeback attempt
NOTES
- Brown was stellar in a complete game effort, going 7.0 innings while striking out a career-high six. She allowed eight hits and two runs while walking one.
- Kipnis, Adhya Tandon and Dacia Green each tallied two hits for Williams
- Mapes moved to 6-0 on the season for Williams, going 7.0 innings for a complete game with one run allowed on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts
- Sciarappa, Brown, Brooklin Williams '23 and Bella Tassone '24 each tallied one hit for Wesleyan
- The Cardinals played a perfect game in the field, committing no errors in a game for the first time this season
Highlights Game 2 (L, 10-1 | 6 Innings):
- Brooklin Williams, Wesleyan's game two starter, was sensational early as she retired the first 10 Ephs batters, three of which on strikeouts
- Wesleyan then took the lead as Sciarappa singled to lead off the fourth, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Campbell and then came around on a RBI single to right center from Brown as the Cardinals led for the first time today
- Williams came roaring back in their next at-bats as the Ephs recorded six runs on four hits with the big knock being a Tayler Wise two-run single that scored the go-ahead runs for visiting team
- The game was put out of reach in the sixth as Kelly McGuigan singled to right that scored two and Mapes doubled to deep left field that scored McGuigan and made it 10-1
NOTES
- Sciarappa went 2-for-2 with one walk and one run scored as she reached base in all three of her plate appearances in game two
- Brown had the RBI single in the fourth as she collected the RBIs on both the Wesleyan runs scored between the two games of Saturday's doubleheader
- Brooklin Williams took the lose despite throwing well through the first four innings as she went 5.0 innings allowing five runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts
- Maya Hartman went 6.0 innings for the complete game with three hits and one run allowed as she moved to 2-0 on the season
- McGuigan, Mapes, Rachel Neugart and Wise all recorded 2 RBI each while Mapes and McGuigan collected two hits for the Ephs in game two
UP NEXT
Wesleyan travels to take on Williams for one game on Sunday starting at 1:00 PM.