Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
MIDDLETOWN, CT – The Williams College softball team (18-14/11-5 NESCAC) faced Wesleyan University (13-23/1-15 NESCAC) in Middletown, Conn. It was a great day for the Ephs, who won both games by impressive margins.
The first game, pitched by
Sadie Leonard (who was recently named NESCAC Softball Pitcher of the Week), ended 10-2 after only five innings via the 8-run rule. In the second, though the Ephs started scoring in only the fourth inning of the second game, they managed to secure a 10-3 victory..
In the first game, the Ephs hit the ground running, scoring three times in the first inning.
Kayla Chang was hit by a pitch and Kelly McGuigan singled up the middle.
Sydney Fleming followed up with a double to center field, allowing Chang to score. Next, McGuigan scored when
Bailey Burger-Moore singled to the pitcher and was able to advance to second base. Vicky Balderas then grounded out to shortstop, giving Fleming the chance to score.
Wesleyan scored twice in the bottom of the second inning, earning their only runs of the game and bringing the score to 3-2. After no hits from either team in the third, the Ephs scored again in the fourth when Balderas singled to center field and
Ronni Ramos reached first on an error.
Sidney Miller then singled to first and advanced to second, with Balderas scoring.
Tayler Wise also reached first on an error (the second of the inning by the Cardinals), and both Miller and Ramos scored.
The Ephs brought the score to 10-2 in the fifth inning, scoring four more times before the end of the game thanks to hits by Balderas, Ramos, and
Adhya Tandon as well as triples to center field from Miller and Wise.
In the second game, the Cardinals scored first, holding a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when Chang was hit by a pitch for a second time. A single by Miller and a double by Burger-Moore scored Chang, and singles by Balderas and Ramos helped Burger-Moore to score, giving the Ephs a 3-2 lead.
The Ephs scored twice in the fifth before earning no less than 5 runs in the sixth inning alone. The Cardinals managed two more runs by the end of the game, impeded by the strong pitching of
Elyse Chan (who gave up only 5 hits). Williams' last run of the game came in the seventh inning when Balderas singled up the middle and Tandon doubled to right field, bringing the score to 10-3.
"It was a beautiful day at the field," said Ephs head coach
Kris Herman. "Although we didn't have our A game in every aspect, we did a great job at the plate and on the bases. All 3 pitchers battled, and our offense was particularly good with 2 outs. Our bunting game also was a big factor today."
Next up for the Ephs are their last two games of the regular season, as they face Bates College in an away doubleheader tomorrow in Lewiston, ME with the first game starting at 11 AM.
