ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The RV Washington University in St. Louis softball team split on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 11 Central before falling to No. 20 Calvin.
Game 1: WashU 5, Central 3
The Bears struck first, scoring a run in both the first and second innings. In the top of the first, sophomore
Kennedy Grippo led off with a single up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior
Brooke Capparelli. Grippo went to third on a grounder from senior
Natalia Pilpil and scored on a double from senior
Taylor Geluck to left center for a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore
Julia Nicholus led off the second inning with a single down the left field line and moved ahead on a grounder from junior
Alexa Hanish. Senior
Erin Reardon drilled a two-out triple to right center, scoring Nicholus for a 2-0 lead.
Central put up a run in the bottom of the second inning. Alexa Anderson was hit by a pitch to lead off and Ali Henry, who came on to run for Anderson, stole second. Mariah Parton singled up the middle, scoring Henry to make it a 2-1 game.
The Bears continued the offensive production in the top of the third inning, scoring two more runs. Grippo led off with a single to third and then stole second. Pilpil singled to short to put runners on the corners and first-year
Christina Smith, who game on to run for Pilpil, stole second. First-year
Harper Nix doubled down the left line to bring Grippo and Smith home and give the Bears a 4-1 lead.
WashU made it a 5-1 game in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, senior
Maggie Baumstark drilled a double to left field and advanced to third on a single up the middle from Reardon. Baumstark stole home for the four-run lead.
Central came out to score two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it a 5-3 game with the Bears in the lead. Emma Jensen drew a lead-off walk and Addi Starr reached on a fielder's choice. Emma Lenox singled through the left side and Emma Anderson, who came on to run for Leno, stole second while Carlin Smith, who was on to run for Starr, stole third. Haley Bach singled to second and advanced to second on a Bears' throwing error, which allowed both Smith and Anderson to score.
Grippo went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while Nix finished 2-for-2 with two RBI. Reardon was 2-for-3 with one RBI and Baumstark went 1-for-2 with one run scored.
Senior pitcher
Jamie Burgasser went the distance in the circle, pitching a complete game with four hits, three earned runs and seven strikeouts.
Game 2: Calvin 3, WashU 1
The Bears broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, Pilpil singled up the middle and first-year
Emma Dow, who came on to pinch run for Pilpil, scored on a double from Geluck for the 1-0 lead.
Calvin took the lead in the top of the sixth inning, scoring three runs. Alanna Garcia drew a lead-off walk and Sage Mougin came on to run for her. Mougin advanced to second on a passed ball and Lily Gaastra drew a two-out walk. Carly Dole drew a walk to load the bases and Taylor Sanborn singled up the middle to score Mougin for the Knights' first run. Tory Decker reached base on an error, allowing Gaastra and Dole to score for the 3-1 advantage.
Pilpil finished 2-for-2 while Reardon went 2-for-3. Geluck was 1-for-3 with one RBI. Sophomore
Maria Brooks took the loss in the circle, pitching a complete game with one earned run and five strikeouts.
The Bears are back home again next Saturday with a doubleheader against UW-Stout at 12 and 2 p.m. From there, WashU heads to California for spring break and return home for the first series of UAA play on March 21-22 against Case Western Reserve University.
