The 10th-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team completed a four-game sweep of Brandeis University on Sunday afternoon, winning the series finale 8-4 at Marcus Field in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The Spartans improved to 28-5 on the season and 13-3 in University Athletic Association contests. With four league games remaining, CWRU holds at least a one game lead over WashU (11-4) for the conference championship.
The Judges fell to 13-18 overall and 5-11 in the UAA.
First-year Karen Potts homered for the third time in the series, finishing the game two-for-four with two runs batted in and one run scored. It was her team-leading 15th multi-hit game of the season. Senior KaiLi Gross slugged her team-leading sixth home run of the campaign and the 20th of her career, going two-for-four with two runs scored and one driven in. Senior Stevie Rieger, sophomore Elizabeth Berry, and junior Katelyn Lamm each collected two hits for the Spartans, who totaled 13 as a team in the contest. Across the four games, Case Western Reserve outscored Brandeis 42-10, totaling 58 hits in four games.
CWRU scored twice in the first inning to open a 2-0 lead. Gross hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Rieger. After she stole second, Rieger crossed home on a single by Berry to double the advantage.
The Judges tied the score on a two-out two-run home run off the bat of Haley Nash in the bottom of the inning.
Following two scoreless frames, the Spartans used their speed to break the deadlock in the fourth inning. First-year Nylah Durham scored on a first-and-third stolen base by senior Kela Jagoda. The two-out rally continued with back-to-back home runs by Potts, her fifth of the season, and Gross. Three runs scored on the round-trippers, giving CWRU a 6-2 advantage.
Brandeis threatened in the bottom half of the stanza, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs. However, junior pitcher Lexi Miskey, who entered the game in relief the prior inning, struck out the next batter, threw out a runner at home on a groundout, and struck out the final batter of the inning to maintain the four-run lead.
A two-out single in the fifth inning scored a run for the hosts, making the score 6-3.
Lamm drove in two key insurance runs in the final inning, plating a pair of Spartans with a two-out single. Senior pitcher Jenna Jaklich pitched the final frame, allowing one run on two hits.
Miskey (16-3) earned the win in relief, conceding one run on three hits in four innings with seven strikeouts. Junior Kylie Hosey started the contest in the circle, giving up two unearned runs on two hits in two innings while striking out three.
The Spartans will welcome rival Carnegie Mellon to Mather Park next weekend for the final conference series of the season. The first game of the four-game set is currently scheduled for Friday, April 26 at 3 p.m.
