Behind a three-run fifth inning, the eighth-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team won its first game of the 2023 season at Mather Park in Cleveland, defeating Washington University in St. Louis 3-2 on Friday evening to open a four-game series.

With the win, the Spartans improved to 16-2 overall and 2-2 in University Athletic Association play, while the Bears fell to 9-10 on the season and 2-3 in the UAA.

WashU started the scoring in the first inning, taking advantage of two Spartan errors in the frame to lead 1-0. With the bases loaded and one out, sophomore pitcher Lexi Miskey prevented further damage by striking out two batters to end the threat. The Bears loaded the bases again with one out in the top of the third inning, but Miskey induced a lineout double play to keep the deficit at one.

In the bottom half of the fifth inning, CWRU scored all three of its runs to lead 3-1. First-year outfielder Brianna Landers led off the inning with a single and junior outfielder Stevie Rieger followed with a first-pitch single to put two runners on base. A double off the bat of junior outfielder Kela Jagoda to deep left field drove in Landers to tie the score. The three straight hits chased WashU starting pitcher Jordan Rossi, who allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits and a walk in four innings.

Following the pitching change, junior infielder KaiLi Gross gave the Spartans the lead with an infield single off Holly Stoner to score Rieger. Jagoda then crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by senior outfielder Carli Tucci to add a key insurance run. Stoner retired the next two batters to end the CWRU threat.

Jagoda finished the day two-for-two at the plate with a double, a run scored, a run driven in, and a stolen base. Gross also collected two hits, drove in one, and recorded a steal.

In the top of the following inning, WashU responded with a leadoff home run by Tami Wong, making the score 3-2. Miskey retired the next three batters, and after a scoreless bottom of the sixth, she worked around a one-out walk in the final frame to secure the win.

The sophomore pitcher improved to 10-0 on the season, recording a season-high 12 strikeouts in seven innings while allowing just one earned run on five hits and two walks. It was the fourth game this season that Miskey struck out at least 10 batters and the ninth double-digit strikeout game of her career. For the season, she has compiled 93 strikeouts, increasing her career total to 252 to tie her with former Spartan Sidney Brannam for seventh most in program history.

The Spartans and Bears will continue their series tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at Mather Park. With variable weather in the forecast, fans are encouraged to check athletics.case.edu, the CWRU Softball schedule page (athletics.case.edu/sports/sball/2022-23/schedule), and the CWRU Athletics social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook) for any updates to this weekend's schedule.