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Box Score 2 Case Western Reserve University senior shortstop Sarah Miller hit two home runs and drove in five RBI's, while also stealing two bases to become the program's single-season stolen bases leader, as the Spartans swept a doubleheader against Defiance College on Monday afternoon. CWRU claimed a 10-0 win in five innings during the first game and a 7-1 victory in the second contest.
Miller now has 27 stolen bases on the season, as she passed former Spartan Katie Wede (2018), for the most stolen bases in a single-season. She also paced the team at the plate, going five-for-eight over the two games with two home runs, five RBI's and four runs scored.
The sweep raised the Spartans' record to 20-6 for the season. CWRU improved to 12-0 in games at Mather Park this season and have also won 10-straight games.
Defiance dropped to 10-13-1 on the season with the two losses.
Game 1: CWRU 10, Defiance 0 (5 innings)
The Spartans scored a run in the first, two runs in the second and erupted for seven runs in the fifth to secure the 10-0 win over the Yellow Jackets in the opening game of Monday's doubleheader.
Senior Sidney Brannam pitched all five innings of the game, holding Defiance scoreless on four hits and zero walks, while striking out four batters. She improved to 15-1 on the campaign with the win.
CWRU opened the scoring in the first, when senior Dusstyn Reynolds hit a RBI groundout to the pitcher that scored Miller from third. The Spartans scored two more runs in the second when Miller hit a towering home run to center field and then Reynolds laced a RBI double to left center.
Case Western Reserve then erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the run-rule into effect. Junior Liv Thomas launched a two-run homer in the inning and Miller ended the game with a grand slam that went over the center field fence. Thomas' home run was her fifth season, while Miller's home run was her second of the day and team-leading 10th on the season.
Jennifer Kaffenbarger started and suffered the loss for Defiance in the first game, dropping to 0-1 on the season.
Game 2: CWRU 7, Defiance 1
The second game was scoreless until the top of the third when the Yellow Jackets got on the board with their first run of the day. CWRU quickly responded in the next half inning as senior Arisa Cleaveland drove in a pair of runs with a RBI single to left center and Reynolds hit into a RBI groundout that scored Miller to give the Spartans a 3-1 advantage.
The Spartans went on to score a run in both the fourth and fifth inning, as first-year Kela Jagoda hit a RBI single in the fourth and senior Hope Yashnik tallied a RBI single in the fifth.
CWRU then added a pair of runs in the sixth as Jagoda opened the scoring with her second RBI single of the game. Jagoda and Miller then executed a perfect double steal that allowed Jagoda to score. Miller's stolen base was her record-breaking 27th of the season.
Brannam started and pitched the first six innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits and two walks, while striking out five batters. With the victory, she improved to a team-best 16-1 on the season. Thomas wrapped up the win with a scoreless inning of relief, yielding just one hit.
Cleaveland led the Spatans at the with a three-for-four performance, while Yeung and Jagoda each went two-for-three at the plate.
Case Western Reserve will return to action on Sunday, April 18th as they prepare for a single game at NCAA Division I Kent State University. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. The Spartans' originally scheduled doubleheader against Walsh University on Wednesday, April 14th has been cancelled.
