CHICAGO, Ill. – The No. 18 Washington University in St. Louis softball team completed a series sweep of Chicago with a pair of wins on Saturday afternoon. The Bears improve to 18-5 on the season and 5-1 in UAA play.
Game 1: WashU 5, Chicago 2
Chicago put the first run on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Sedona Ding drew a leadoff walk and stole second. With two outs, Matilda Nelson doubled, scoring Ding for a 1-0 Maroons' lead.
The Bears pulled even in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, senior
Natalia Pilpil hit a homer, her second of the season.
WashU added four runs in the top of the sixth. Senior
Erin Reardon led off with a single, and senior
Brooke Capparelli followed with a double, scoring Reardon to give the Bears their first lead of the game. Capparelli went on to score on a Pilpil single, and senior
Taylor Geluck drilled a two-run homer to make it a 5-1 game.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Laila Sims hit a home run for the Maroons, making it 5-2.
Pilpil finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Geluck went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored, while Capparelli finished 1-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI.
Senior
Jordan Rossi earned the win in the circle, pitching five innings with one earned run and three strikeouts. Senior
Jamie Burgasser came in for the save, going two innings with one earned run and two strikeouts.
Game 2: WashU 4, Chicago 1
The Bears scored the first run of the game in the top of the third inning. With one out, Reardon singled to center and Capparelli drew a walk. Pilpil brought in Reardon with a single for a 1-0 game.
Chicago tied things up in the bottom of the third inning. Madeline Murphy led off with a single to center and stole second. Audrey Hui drove in Murphy with a double.
WashU scored the remainder of its runs in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs, first-year
Harper Nix doubled and scored on a double from senior
Maggie Baumstark. Baumstark then scored on a Reardon single for a 3-1 lead. Reardon stole second and scored on a single from Capparelli to make it a 4-1 game.
Reardon finished 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Pilpil went 1-for-2 with one RBI and two walks. Capparelli finished 1-for-2 with one RBI and a walk. Baumstark was 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Burgasser earned her eighth win of the year in the circle, going 4.1 innings with one hit, no runs, and two strikeouts.
The Bears are on the road again next weekend for a UAA series at NYU, starting with a doubleheader Friday at 5/7 p.m., followed by a single game at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
