The eighth-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team fell by one run, 3-2, to 25th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis to start a three-game series on Friday afternoon at the WashU Softball Field in St. Louis.

The Spartans fell to 9-6 overall and 0-1 in University Athletic Association play, while the Bears improved to 14-4 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.

Senior pitcher Lexi Miskey worked out of a jam in the first inning. WashU loaded the bases with one out on a pair of singles and a walk. However, the Spartan hurler struck out the next two batters to keep the game scoreless.

Energized by their pitcher, the Spartan offense plated the first run in the following half-inning. Senior catcher Katelyn Lamm doubled home junior infielder Elizabeth Berry, who had singled earlier in the frame, to give CWRU a 1-0 advantage.

The Bears responded in the bottom half of the second, taking the lead on a two-run homer by Erin Reardon.

After stranding runners in scoring position in the third and fourth innings, CWRU allowed a third run to come across on a Reardon double.

Sophomore infielder Karen Potts singled to lead off the fifth inning, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a wild pitch to cut the visitors' deficit to just one. However, the Spartans were unable to rally in the final two frames to drop their first conference contest of the season.

Potts and Lamm both had two hits in the contest, combining for four of the team's seven base knocks. Miskey (6-2) took the loss in the circle, allowing three runs in six innings on six hits with five strikeouts. Maria Brooks (3-2) earned the win for WashU despite allowing seven hits in a complete game effort.

The Spartans and Bears will conclude their series on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET

Spartan Notes

• Potts had her fifth multi-hit game of the season, the second-most on the team, while Lamm recorded at least two hits for the fourth time in 2025
• Sophomore outfielder Nylah Durham, who had a single in the contest, stole her team-leading eighth base of the season with being caught
• CWRU fell to 22-36 since 2000 against WashU, dropping the last four contests in the all-time series. The last six games in the series have been decided by three runs or fewer, including two by just one run. However, the Spartans are 16-9 against the Bears since conference contests moved to home sites in 2017