The 15th-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team started its game-series with New York University with a 9-1 five-inning win on Friday afternoon at Mather Park in Cleveland.

The Spartans improved to 16-8 overall and 4-3 in University Athletic Association play, while the Violets dropped to 9-18 in 2025 and 1-6 in the UAA.

Graduate student infielder KaiLi Gross had four hits in four at-bats and drove in four runs to lead the offense in the run-rule victory.

NYU opened the scoring in the first inning, plating a run on a one-out single. However, CWRU led off the bottom of the frame with three consecutive singles. Junior infielder Elizabeth Berry tied the score with a bases loaded single, but NYU pitcher Olyvia Rutter escaped without allowing the hosts to take the lead.

Gross put the Spartans ahead 3-1 with a two-run single in the second inning, her second hit of the contest.

To start the third, the Violets put two runners in scoring position with just one out. Senior pitcher Lexi Miskey induced a groundout and recorded a strikeout to preserve the lead. First-year outfielder Laura Meoli delivered a pinch-hit single to score the team's fourth run of the day in the bottom half of the stanza before CWRU scored four runs in the fourth on the strength of two home runs.

Gross led off the frame with her ninth homer of the season, and senior catcher Katelyn Lamm hit her first round-tripper in 2025, a two-run shot to make the lead 7-1. First-year outfielder Ashley Miller added a run-scoring single to increase the advantage to seven.

After a scoreless inning of relief from junior Devanghi Misra, Gross drove in the final run of the game with a single after Berry doubled to lead off the final frame.

Miskey (11-3) earned the win in the circle, allowing just one run on one hit with four strikeouts in four innings. Berry, Lamm, and Miller each collected two hits in the contest with Lamm driving in three runs.

The Spartans and Violets will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12 p.m.

Spartan Notes

• CWRU was ranked 12th in the first iteration of the NCAA Power Index (NPI) which is used to determine at-large selections to the national tournament. The Spartans were first among UAA teams
• Case Western Reserve improved to 21-5 all-time against NYU and extended its winning streak in the series to 13 games. Since the start of UAA site play, CWRU is 19-3 against NYU
• Gross had her second four-hit game of the season and the fourth of her career. The home run was the 31st of her career, bringing her within two of the program record
• Miller recorded the second multi-hit game of her career
• Lamm matched a career high with three runs batted in