Gavin Vondercrone
Staff Writer
Warriors’ softball went 2-2 over their four games on the road this past weekend. They won both of their games against Shepherd and lost both of their games against Shippensburg.
Following this set of games the Warriors now post a record of 34-10, good enough for first in the PSAC East.
The final games of the weekend marked the end of a busy stretch for the Warriors, with the team playing 12 games in eight days.
“It’s not easy to play 12 games in eight days against strong PSAC competition,” said head coach Jaimie Wolbach. “Half of the games were on the road, including a stay-over trip.”
The Warriors played their first two games of the weekend on a windy Friday in Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Shepherd jumped out to an early lead in game one, as an RBI single from junior infielder Lexi Clautterbuck would make the score 5-0 in the bottom of the third inning.
The Warriors began their comeback during the top of the fifth. A pair of home runs from junior outfielders Katie Master and Abigail Weirich cut the lead down to 5-3.
In the top of the sixth, senior catcher Kaitlin Houser hit a bullet down the right field line and over the fence to make the score 5-4.
A base hit in the top of the seventh from sophomore second baseman Delaney Ridgell drove in two runs to put the Warriors on top 6-5. They went on to secure the win in the bottom half of the inning.
A comeback in this kind of fashion is nothing new for the Warriors this season, as they’ve mustered multiple wins like this one in the past week. “This team has fight,” said Wolbach.
Game two against Shepherd was not nearly as close. The Warriors dominated in just about every facet in an 11-0 victory.
The game saw a tremendous performance from Sarah Davenport. The freshman pitcher threw five no-hit innings, striking-out 10 batters in the process. She also set the record for strikeouts in a season by an ESU pitcher, having now recorded over 200 this year.
The Warriors play their next two games at Shippensburg, Pa. on Saturday, in what will be a clash between the top two teams in the PSAC Eastern Division.
Both starting pitchers were on point through the first three innings of game one. Neither team was able to drive in any runs despite some traffic on the base paths.
Master kicked off the scoring in the top of the fourth, hitting a two-run double to give the Warriors an early lead.
Shippensburg would eventually tie the game up at two off an RBI-single from senior outfielder Taylor Myers in the bottom of the sixth.
A solo home run from senior catcher Morgan Lindsey in the bottom of the seventh would walk the game off, giving Shippensburg a 3-2 victory.
Game two saw another victory for Shippensburg, ending with a final score of 6-2.
Senior pitcher Paige Zigmund struggled early on after throwing 117 pitches in game one. Shippensburg capitalized, taking a 5-0 lead after two innings.
Davenport entered the game in the third and provided some stability for the Warriors, giving up just one run across five innings and striking out nine batters.
With the exception of four hits from junior outfielder Taylor Lipkins and a monster home run from Ridgell, the Warriors struggled to gain momentum offensively.
Despite the losses, Wolbach states that the past week has been incredibly successful for the Warriors. “Going 9-3 in a loaded week, including a few comeback wins is huge.”
Coach Wolbach and the Warriors will look to continue their excellent season on Tuesday, Apr. 16 at 1 p.m. in a doubleheader on the road against Kutztown.
