Box Score Case Western Reserve University's bats pounded out 12 runs on 17 hits to help lift the team to a 12-3 victory in six innings over Bluffton University on Friday evening in Bluffton, Ohio.
The Spartans now stand at 21-7 overall, while the Beavers drop to 6-19 on the season.
Senior pitcher Sidney Brannam allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over her six innings of work, while striking out seven batters. Brannam improved to 17-2 on the year with a 1.66 earned run average.
The Spartans struck first in the game with three runs in the top of the first. Junior Liv Thomas started the scoring as she hit a RBI single up the middle that scored senior Sarah Miller. Senior Sydney Wagner followed up later in the inning with a two-run RBI single that scored Thomas and sophomore Amanda Riely. Bluffton scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to cut the Spartan lead to 3-2 after one inning of play.
Thomas drove in her second run of the game during the top of the second, as she laced a RBI single up the middle that scored Miller. CWRU scored two more runs in the inning as senior Arisa Cleaveland scored on a wild pitch and then first-year Stevie Rieger scored on a throwing error by the Bluffton catcher.
The Spartans added another run in the top of the fourth and a pair of runs in the fifth to extend the advantage to 9-2. Included in the scoring was a RBI single from Cleaveland and sacrifice fly from Thomas.
The Beavers scored one more run in the fifth, before CWRU closed out the game with three runs in the top of the sixth to secure the 12-3 run-rule victory. The Spartans scored their runs in the sixth via a perfectly executed double steal from first-years Kela Jagoda and Jordon Manworren that scored Manworren, and also a two-run RBI single from Cleaveland.
Cleavleand finished the game four-for-four with three RBI's and one run scored, while Thomas went two-for-three with three RBI's. Miller went two-for-three and continued to be a force on the base paths as she stole four more bases during the game to increase her season total to 32.
Bluffton starter Erin Norman took the loss for the Beavers on Friday, dropping to 3-6 on the year.
Case Western Reserve will return to action on Tuesday, April 27th when the team travels to Canton for a doubleheader against Malone University. First pitched is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
