ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 18 Washington University in St. Louis softball team picked up two wins on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 10 Whitewater in game one before beating Rhodes 10-2 in game two. The Bears are now 8-0 on the season.
Game 1: WashU 1, UW-Whitewater 0
After a tremendous defensive and pitching game on both sides, the Bears broke through with the walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Junior
Kristina Donaldson led off with a double to right center to put herself in scoring position. Junior
Elena Locascio laid down a perfect bunt that got past UWW infielders, giving Donaldson the chance to bolt home to give the Bears the 1-0 win over the top-10 team.
First-year
Julia Sullo finished 2-for-3 while Donaldson was 1-for-3 with the winning run scored. Locascio went 1-for-3 with the winning RBI and sophomore
Harper Nix was 1-for-3.
Junior
Maria Brooks picked up her third win of the season in the circle, pitching a complete game with four hits, no runs and nine strikeouts.
Game 2: WashU 10, Rhodes 2
The Bears came out firing on all cylinders to score six runs in the first inning.
Sullo drew a lead-off walk and stole second. Senior
Sydney Schneider singled through the right side to score Sullo for the first run of the game. Schneider advanced on a wild pitch and junior
Harper Nix drew a walk. Junior
Julia Nicholus followed with another walk before both Schneider and Nix scored on a single through the left side from Locascio.
Locascio stole second before Nicholus scored on a ground out from junior
Kennedy Grippo to make it a 4-0 game. Donaldson reached base on an error by left field and Locascio scored. Senior
Alexa Hanish doubled to center to score Donaldson for the final run of the inning for the 6-0 lead.
After several scoreless innings, the Bears added another in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Sullo singled to second and then stole second. Nix doubled to right, scoring Sullo for the 7-0 advantage.
In the top of the seventh, WashU posted three final runs. With one out, first-year
Olivia Lauber laid a bunt single down and grad student
Dawson Dabboussi doubled to left center, putting two runners in scoring position. With two outs, Sullo singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw, scoring Lauber and first-year
Ava Peterson, who came on to run for Dabboussi. Schneider doubled to left center, scoring Sullo for the 10-0 Bears' lead.
Rhodes scored its lone runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lead-off batter Isabella Phelps and Talia Travis were both hit by pitches to start things off. With two outs, both stole a base and Phelps went on to score on a throwing error. Athena Gonzalez singled up the middle to put runners on the corners and Talia Travis stole home to make it a 10-2 game.
Sullo finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI while Schneider was 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored. Hanish was 2-for-3 with one RBI and Locascio finished 1-for-1 with two RBI and one run scored.
Junior
Hattie Bond pitched a complete game with three hits, two runs and three strikeouts.
The Bears are back in action tomorrow with an 1 p.m. game against UW-Whitewater and a 3 p.m. game against Rhodes.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
