The seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team concluded its time at the 2025 NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic with a pair of wins on Sunday at the South Commons Complex in Columbus, Georgia, defeating sixth-ranked Tufts University 6-4 and fifth-ranked Belhaven 15-13.
The Spartans ended the weekend with a 5-1 record with four wins coming against teams ranked in the preseason top six. The Jumbos fell to 1-5 and the Blazers dropped to 6-5.
#7 CWRU 15, #5 Belhaven 13
Case Western Reserve completed one of the most improbable comebacks in its history, rallying from a 10-run deficit to defeat the Blazers in a slugfest and avenge last season's NCAA Finals loss. Belhaven scored two runs in the second inning and eight in the third, taking advantage of a pair of Spartan errors in the frame.
The Spartans, who did not have a baserunner in the first three innings, started their rally in the fourth. Graduate student KaiLi Gross walked to lead off the frame and scored on a double by sophomore Karen Potts, her first of two in the game. Potts crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by senior Isabella Russo, and CWRU scored its third run on a single by sophomore Kaelyn Zusi.
A leadoff homer run in the bottom of the inning put the Blazers ahead by eight runs heading into the fifth, which meant the Spartans needed to score at least one run to keep the game going.
The team scored six runs in the stanza, shrinking the deficit to just two heading into the bottom half of the inning. First-year Kate Coonan scored the first run on a passed ball, and Potts drove in the second run with a groundout. Russo followed with a run-scoring double, and two batters later, senior Katelyn Lamm drove in a pair of runs with a double of her own. Coonan, batting for the second time in the inning, laced a two-single to right field to make the score 11-9.
CWRU stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the sixth inning, but senior pitcher Lexi Miskey held the Blazers scoreless in the bottom half to keep the deficit at just two. Zusi led off the final frame with a walk, but two quick outs made sophomore Nylah Durham the team's last hope for a comeback. She reached base after being hit by a pitch, and Gross followed with a bloop single to plate a run. Potts then blasted her second double of the contest to left field, as Durham scored the tying run, and Gross evaded a tag at the plate for the go-ahead run.
The team was not done scoring, however. Russo walked to keep the inning alive, and junior Elizabeth Berry hit her first career home run to plate three key insurance runs.
With one out in the bottom half, Belhaven's Ellie Jones hit a two-run home run, making the score 15-13. Miskey (3-0) retired the next two batters she faced with harmless groundouts, securing the win for the Spartans. She earned the win in relief, allowing three earned runs in four and two-third innings with three strikeouts.
Potts had three hits in the contest, while driving in four runs and scoring three times. Gross, Lamm, and Coonan all recorded two eights, and the Spartans totaled 13 base knocks in the game. Berry matched her career high with three runs batted in.
#7 CWRU 6, #6 Tufts 4
The Spartans broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Gross hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Russo. An error and a Lamm single loaded the bases for Zusi, who drove in two additional runs with a single through the left side, making the score 3-0.
Miskey walked in a run in the fourth inning, but limited the damage with a two-out bases loaded strikeout. Case Western Reserve added to its lead in the bottom half of the inning when Durham scored on an error and Berry added a run with a single.
The Jumbos started their comeback in the top of the sixth inning, scoring three runs with two outs. A popout ended the threat, giving the Spartans a one-run advantage. Russo drove in an insurance run in the bottom of the frame, and senior pitcher Kylie Hosey worked around a one-one single to lock down the win.
Miskey earned the win, throwing four no-hit innings with five strikeouts. Hosey picked up her second save of the season in relief, allowing just one earned run in three innings of work.
CWRU will next embark on its Spring Break trip to California, playing 10 games in the greater Los Angeles area from March 9-14. The Spartans start the excursion with a doubleheader at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Sunday, March 9 beginning at 3 p.m. ET
Spartan Notes
- With her double in the first game, Gross became the second member of the 200-career hit club in program history. She finished the day with 203 hits, 15 shy of the program record held by Molly O'Brien. She also tied the career record with her fifth run driven in, giving her 136 RBI across four seasons
- The 15 runs are the most by the Spartans since the team scored 15 against Penn St. Altoona on May 18, 2023, in the NCAA Regional Round. It marked the most runs scored in a regular season contest since Case Western Reserve scored 16 against Carnegie Mellon on April 23, 2022
- The meeting on Sunday was the first-ever between the Spartans and Jumbos. CWRU had only faced Belhaven once before, losing 5-2 at the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship in Marshall, Texas
