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Box Score 2 St. Louis, Mo., April 21, 2017 – The Washington University in St. Louis softball team moved into first place in the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings with a doubleheader sweep over Brandeis University Friday at home.
WashU won game one 4-1, and then posted a 4-0 victory in the nightcap. The Bears extended its winning streak to four and improved to 20-11, 6-4 in the UAA, while Brandeis fell to 11-14, 4-7 in UAA play.
Senior Kenzie James went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and three stolen bases in the two wins. James tied Megan Fieser's (2007-10) school record of 68 career stolen bases, and also moved into second all-time in school history in runs scored (130).
WashU 4, Brandeis 1 – Game One
Junior Anna McKee (12-3) picked up the win in game one allowing six hits and one earned run in 6 2/3 innings pitched. McKee struck out seven and did not walk a batter, and took over the conference lead in wins. Junior Maggie Clapp recorded the final out to record her second save of the season.
Senior Janet Taylor gave the Bears the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third after she singled up the middle to drive in James.
WashU extended the lead to 4-0 scoring three runs on five hits in the fifth. Senior Hannah Mehrle drove in a run with a single to left, and then after a single by Taylor, junior Hera Tang singled to right center pushing across a run. With the bases loaded, junior Mackenzie Gauden recorded an RBI groundout.
WashU recorded nine hits in game one, as three Bears recorded multi-hit games – sophomore Taylor Arends (2-for-3), James (2-for-4, two runs scored, stolen base) and Taylor (2-for-2, walk, run scored, RBI).
WashU 4, Brandeis 0 – Game Two
Clapp (7-8) tossed the second compete-game shutout of her career in game two allowing four hits. She struck out two and did not allow an extra-base hit. Clapp has allowed just three earned runs in the last 30 innings, dropping her earned run average to 2.47.
WashU broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning scoring three runs on four hits. Clapp helped her own cause with a two-RBI double to left, and then Gauden singled to right driving in Clapp to make it 3-0.
Mehrle added an RBI single in the fifth to push the lead to 5-0. The RBI for Mehrle was the 133rd of her career, sixth most in school history.
Arends (2-for-3), James (2-for-4, run scored, two stoles bases) and Mehrle (2-for-3, run scored, RBI) each had multi-hit games for WashU. The Bears had 10 hits in the win.
WashU and Brandeis conclude the four-game series with a pair of games on Saturday, April 22, beginning at 1 p.m. The Bears will honor their four seniors prior to first pitch of game one – James, Mehrle, Taylor and Halle Steinberg.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Brandeis 29-7, and the Bears have won seven-straight meetings … WashU is 19-3 when scoring first … Mehrle is seven hits shy of setting the all-time school record … She also moved into seventh all-time in runs scored (120) … Taylor recorded the 70th walk of her career … Clapp moved into fifth all-time saves (3), eighth in wins (22) and ninth in complete games (12).
