FREDERICK, Md.--In a fitting farewell in the final home series
of their careers, all six members of the Hood College softball
senior class contributed to a Capital Athletic Conference
doubleheader sweep over Stevenson University Sunday afternoon.
The Blazers (8-18, 4-4 CAC) evened their CAC record by defeating
the Mustangs (12-12, 1-7 CAC) by a 10-1 count in five innings in
the opener and eked out a 4-3 victory in the nightcap.
Senior Jamie Gardner, Hood's career leader in virtually every
pitching category, tossed a four-hit shutout while striking out six
Stevenson hitters in game one. Classmate Sara Wastler provided the
bulk of the offense, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and a pair of
homeruns, including a walk-off three-run shot with two outs in the
bottom of the fifth. With that swing, she also became Hood's
all-time leader in RBI, breaking Julie Pallansch's mark of 75 set
during the 2005 campaign. Wastler currently has now driven in 77
runs with at least 10 games remaining on the docket.
Senior Ashley Lenhart was 2-for-2 with a run scored in the
opener while Jen Lacy played flawless at third base and scored
Hood's sixth run of the ballgame in the bottom of the fourth.
Senior Jess Krietz started Hood's decisive rally in the bottom of
the fifth with a one-out infield single and came around to score on
Wastler's bomb over the centerfield fence. Senior Katherine Law
went 3-for-5 in the twinbill and scored three runs.
Junior Jen Willison's solo shot in the bottom of the third was
her third in the last three games and brings her career total to
eight, good for second place all-time behind Melanie Muscar, who
went deep 10 times in her two-year Blazer career.
Hood was forced to play catch-up in game two after Stevenson
scored a pair of runs on four basehits. Lisa Bilski and Sarah
Moelter drove in runs in the inning. Stevenson looked to break the
game open with the bases loaded and only one out. But Bridgette
Ringley fanned Jayme Kekich and got Mara DeLaus to ground into a
fielder's choice, forcing Bilski at third to end the threat.
Hood got one back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI-single by
Steph Gardner. This time it was Stevenson's Moelter who worked out
of a jam as she forced the Blazers to leave the bases loaded. After
surrendering back-to-back walks to Willison and Ringley, Moelter
retired Krietz on a grounder to third to end the inning.
After a scoreless second, Hood plated two more runs in the
bottom of the third to jump back on top, 3-2. Law came in to score
on a wild pitch and Willison drove in Steph Gardner with a single
to right.
Then in the top of the fifth, Stevenson evened things up when
Jessica Bandzwolek doubled and came around to score on a wild
pitch. But Hood answered right back in the bottom half when
Willison picked up her second RBI of the game on a single to the
gap in left-center which plated Law from second base.
Stevenson wouldn't go away though as Brittani Rynkowski led off
the inning with a double to deep left. After Ringley struck out
Laura Bedgar for the first out, Bandzwolek singled to put runners
at the corners. Michelle January hit a groundball to Steph Gardner
at first who checked the runner then applied to tag to January for
the second out. Next up was Bilski, Stevenson's top hitter on the
season who was already 3-for-5 on the day following a triple in her
previous at-bat in the fifth. Bilski lined a grounder up the middle
which deflected off the glove of Ringley towards the right side of
the infield. Second baseman Law scooped the ball and shoveled it to
Gardner at first to nip Bilski for the final out of the game and
clinch Hood's fifth straight win and third series sweep of the
season.
Ringley earned the win, her team-leading fourth of the season,
while allowing three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and two
walks.
Hood, still in fourth place in the CAC standings, has two
conference series remaining before the playoffs begin on April 14.
The Blazers travel to York College (Pa.) Thursday for a 3 p.m.
twinbill with the second-place Spartans (21-7, 7-1 CAC).
