The 13th-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team split a pair of games with nationally ranked teams on Saturday at the 2024 NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic held at the South Commons Complex in Columbus, Georgia, defeating ninth-ranked Virginia Wesleyan University 4-2, but falling to 16th-ranked East Texas Baptist University 4-1.
With the split, the Spartans moved to 2-1 on the season. The Marlins dropped to 4-2, while the Tigers improved to 6-1.
#13 CWRU 4, #9 Virginia Wesleyan 2
The Marlins scored twice in the bottom of the first inning without the benefit of a hit, taking an early 2-0 lead on four walks and a hit batter. Junior pitcher Kylie Hosey, coming on in relief in the first frame with the bases loaded and two outs, limited the damage with a flyout to end the threat.
After neither team was able to score for the next three innings, the Spartans used a three-run fifth to take a one-run lead. Junior catcher Katelyn Lamm led off the inning with a single. She scored on a double by senior Stevie Rieger, cutting the team's deficit in half. First-year Alaina Steffes delivered a two out pinch-hit triple, with Rieger crossing home plate to tie the score at two. It was her first career hit and run batted in. Senior Kela Jagoda followed with the go-ahead single, driving in Steffes with a base hit up the middle.
First-year Karen Potts added a key insurance run in the top of the seventh inning, plating Steffes with a two-out double to make the score 4-2.
Virginia Wesleyan threatened in the final inning, bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs after a double. However, Hosey retired the final batter with a strikeout to end the game.
Hosey (1-0) earned the win in relief, pitching six and one-third shutout innings. She allowed just three hits and one walk and struck out four batters.
#16 ETBU 4, #13 CWRU 1
The Tigers struck first in the second game of the day, scoring a run on a one-out single in the top of the first inning. With two runners in scoring position, CWRU used a pickoff play and a strikeout to escape the opening frame with a one-run deficit.
In the third inning, ETBU extended its lead with a run-scoring single.
The Spartans again struck in the fifth inning, with Jagoda driving in her second run of the day with a single up the middle to plate Steffes. A single by Potts put two runners on base with one out, but the Tigers were able to record a popout and a flyout to maintain their 2-1 lead.
East Texas Baptist scored a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh to increase its lead to three, and the Spartans were unable to mount a comeback in the bottom of the inning to end the contest.
Potts recorded two hits and stole a base in the game, with Lamm contributing a pair of walks. In the circle, junior Lexi Miskey fell to 1-1 on the season, allowing four earned runs on eight hits in seven innings. She struck out four batters.
The Spartans will wrap up play in Georgia with two games on Sunday, starting with DePauw at 9 a.m. and ending with Wartburg at 11 a.m.
