Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Case Western Reserve University softball team earned a sweep of a doubleheader at Hiram College on Wednesday afternoon, topping the Terriers 6-0 in the first game, and 11-2 in five innings in the second contest, in Hiram, Ohio.
Senior pitcher Sidney Brannam started and earned the win in each of the two games, holding Hiram to just two runs, one earned, on seven hits with one strikeout in 10 innings. She improved to 7-1 overall on the season, while lowering her earned run average to 1.62.
First-year KaiLi Gross paced the team at the plate, going three-for seven over the two games with five runs batted in and a home run. Junior Grace Yeung added four RBI's with a home run and a triple over the two games.
With the wins, the Spartans have now five of their last six games to improve to 8-4 overall. Hiram dropped to 3-6 with the two losses.
Game 1: CWRU 6, Hiram 0
Case Western Reserve senior Hope Yashnik led the Spartans at the plate in the first game, as she went one-for-four with a triple and two runs batted in.
CWRU got on the board first after an RBI groundout from Yashnik that scored senior Arisa Cleaveland, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead after the top of the first.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when the Spartans added two more runs to the board. Sophomore Carli Tucci started the scoring with a RBI double to center field that scored senior Sydney Wagner and then Cleaveland stepped up and delivered a RBI single to left field that scored first-year Savannah Gazda.
CWRU continued adding to their lead in the sixth when Gazda notched an RBI groundout, scoring first-year Kela Jagoda from third, giving the Spartans a 4-0 advantage. Case Western Reserve wrapped up the scoring in the seventh as Yashnik drove in her second run of the game, a RBI triple to left center. Yashnik then came around to score on a RBI groundout from Jagoda.
Cleaveland and Tucci each finished the game two-for-three at the plate.
Brannam started and pitched another outstanding game as she allowed just three hits and struck out a hitter in her complete-game shutout. She improved to 6-1 on the year with the win. Bailey Scheck was credited with the loss for Hiram, falling to 2-3 on the year.
Game 2: CWRU 11, Hiram 2 (5 innings)
The Spartans jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings, and tacked on four late runs, en route to a run-rule shortened victory over Hiram in the second game of the day.
Gross and Yeung each launched home runs in the game, including a grand slam from Gross in the second inning of the game.
CWRU put three runs on the board in the first inning on RBI singles from Gross and Yashnik, and a RBI groundout from senior Dusstyn Reynolds. The Spartans added four more runs in the second via a bases loaded home run from Gross, her team-leading fourth of the season.
Hiram put up their first runs of the day in the third, scoring one earned and one unearned run to cut the lead to 7-2. However, the Spartans put the game out of reach with a run in the fourth and three in fifth, extending the advantage to 11-2. The run in the fourth was a solo home run from Yeung, the first of her collegiate career.
Brannam pitched the first three innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits. Gross wrapped up the victory with a pair of scoreless innings, yielding just one walk.
Morgan Finley suffered the loss for Hiram, falling to 0-2 for the campaign.
Case Western Reserve will return home for a doubleheader against the College of Wooster on Saturday, March 27th, starting at 3:00 p.m. at Mather Park.
