Behind 18 strikeouts in 10 innings from junior pitcher Lexi Miskey, the seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team won a pair of games on the penultimate day of its trip to Florida for The Spring Games, defeating SUNY Geneseo 6-0 and Gettysburg College 6-2 in nine innings on Thursday at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
With the two wins, the Spartans improved to 11-2 on the season and 7-1 in Florida. The Knights dropped to 2-7, and the Bullets fell to 7-3.
#7 CWRU 6, SUNY Geneseo 0
Miskey was matched up against Shelby Bolton in a pitchers' duel as the first five innings of the first game of the day were scoreless. CWRU had a runner in scoring position in four of the first five innings, but the team was kept off the scoreboard.
After Miskey worked around a one-out single in the top of the sixth inning with the help of a diving catch by sophomore Elizabeth Berry at third base, the Spartan offense exploded for six runs in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on first and second, Berry delivered a two-run double down the right field line, finally breaking the deadlock. After a walk and infield single, senior Kela Jagoda drove in a pair of runs with a well-placed infield single up the middle. Senior KaiLi Gross followed with a two-run single of her own for her team-leading 11th and 12th runs batted in of the season.
Miskey, who struck out 10 in six scoreless innings, gave way to senior Jenna Jaklich in the seventh. Jaklich struck out a pair for a flawless final frame, completing the third shutout of the season for CWRU.
Miskey earned the win, her fifth in 2024, allowing only three baserunners in six innings. It was her third double-digit strikeout performance of the season and the 14th of her career. With her eighth strikeout in the game, Miskey became the third pitcher in program history to reach 400 strikeouts for her career, doing so in just 315 and two-third innings. She joins Ruth Sagartz (531 strikeouts from 2006-09) and Rebecca Taylor (425 strikeouts from 2012-15) in reaching the 400-strikeout milestone.
Eight Spartans recorded hits in the contest with Gross collecting two for her first multi-hit game of the day.
#7 CWRU 6, Gettysburg 2 (9 inn.)
Case Western Reserve, playing as the visiting team in the afternoon game, broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third inning. With first-year Nylah Durham on third base after an error, a steal, and a groundout, Gross delivered a two-out double to put the Spartans ahead. It was the first of four hits in the game for Gross, matching a career high from 2021 and falling one short of tying the program record of five.
The Bullets responded in the bottom half, scoring two runs on five hits while leaving three runners on base.
Gross led off the sixth inning with a single and crossed the plate on a single off the bat of first-year Karen Potts, tying the score at two. For Potts, the single extended her career-beginning hitting streak to 13 games. The Spartans were unable to retake the lead in the sixth or seventh innings, setting up a dramatic bottom of the seventh and extra innings.
Gettysburg's Julia Smith led off the seventh inning with a single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and passed ball. With the winning run 60 feet from scoring, Miskey struck out the next two batters to send the game to extra innings.
In the first extra inning, CWRU moved the automatic runner to third but was unable to score. Gettysburg's automatic runner reached third base with no outs, but Miskey struck out the next two batters and induced a groundout to force a ninth inning.
With two runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth inning, senior catcher Jordon Manworren drove in the go-ahead run with a single to right field, making the score 3-2. A wild pitch put two runners back in scoring position with two outs, and Gross delivered a two-run double to increase the lead to three. A double from Potts extended the advantage to four heading into the bottom half of the frame.
Miskey struck out the side in the ninth, clinching the sweep for the Spartans. She picked up the win in relief to improve to 6-2 on the season, striking out eight batters in four innings while allowing just one hit. Junior Kylie Hosey started the game in the circle and pitched the first five innings, allowing two runs on six hits with five strikeouts. This season, Miskey has 58 strikeouts in 42 and one-third innings, allowing an earned run average of just 1.32. Hosey, who is 5-0 on the year, has a 1.22 ERA in 34 and one-third innings.
CWRU collected 10 hits in the game with four coming from Gross and two from Potts. In addition to her four-for-five day at the plate, Gross scored twice and drove in three runs.
The Spartans will wrap up play in Florida tomorrow with a 9 a.m. matchup against Catholic and 11:15 game against Hope at Hancock Park in Clermont, Florida.
