On the strength of two home runs in the first inning, the 19th-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team defeated sixth-ranked WashU 4-1 on Friday afternoon at Mather Park in Cleveland to open University Athletic Association play.
The Spartans improved to 11-4 this season and 1-0 in conference contests, while the Bears dropped to 12-2-1 and 0-1 in league play.
Stats and Standouts
- Sophomore infielder Kate Coonan, junior infielder Karen Potts, and first-year pitcher Camryn Mclelland each had two hits in the game
- Potts and junior outfielder/catcher Alaina Steffes hit home runs for the Spartans
- Mclelland (5-2) pitched a complete game, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks
- First-year infielder Natalie Ching doubled for CWRU
Game Summary
- Potts put the Spartans on the board in the first inning, slugging a two-out solo home run
- After senior infielder Elizabeth Berry walked, Steffes hit her second homer of the season to put CWRU ahead 3-0
- WashU had runners on first and second with one out in the third inning, but were unable to score
- Mclelland added to the lead in the bottom of the frame, doubling home a run with two outs
- The Bears finally broke through in the final frame scoring a run on an infield single with two outs
- With the go-ahead run at the plate, Mclelland induced a popout to secure the win
Spartan Notes
- All five runs in the game scored with two outs
- CWRU improved to 24-37 against WashU in the all-time series and 18-10 against the Bears on campus sites
- Coonan had her team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the season
- Potts' homer was her fourth of the year and the 14th of her career, moving her into a tie for ninth place in program history
- Steffes hit the fifth homer of her career
Up Next
CWRU and WashU will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.
