Wright State University
17-14, 5-3
Valparaiso (Game 2)
17-10, 3-2
Softball Sweeps Series from Valparaiso
4/2/2009 12:00:00 PM | Softball
After winning the opener 9-7 in 10 innings Wednesday, the Wright State softball team won the final two games of its series at Valparaiso Thursday afternoon, winning a suspended game 9-0 in six innings and taking the finale 6-2.
The Raiders entered Thursday's play with a 5-0 lead after four innings of the suspended game. After scoring a run in the first on a Kristen Bradshaw RBI single and adding another in the second on an Ashleigh Jackson sacrifice fly, WSU tacked on three more runs in the fourth on a two-run single from Briauna Birl and a Valparaiso error.
It took just three pitches for Wright State to start its offense Thursday in the fifth inning as Bradshaw homered to left center. One inning later, the Raiders forced the run-rule with three more as, following singles by Birl and Jamie Perkins, Justine Shilt cracked a three-run homer to left.
Allison Cox picked up her first win of the season, blanking the Crusaders on three hits, striking out two. Offensively, Birl finished with three hits while Lindsay Barrett had two.
WSU took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the regularly scheduled game as Shilt hit her second home run of the day, a solo shot over the scoreboard in left center, and Louie Haney drove in the second with an infield single to plate Barrett, who reached on an error.
It stayed that way until the seventh when the Raiders put the game out of reach with four runs. Mollie Berry led off with a hit to left and was bunted to second by Birl, but was still at second as Haney grounded out for the second out.
Perkins, however, kept the inning alive with a walk and Bradshaw followed with a three-run blast to straight away center, her sixth home run of the season. Two pitches later, Shilt connected on her third home run of the day, a solo shot to center, to give her seven on the year.
Cox (2-1) earned her second win of the day in another complete-game effort, not allowing a run until Valparaiso scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. She scattered eight hits and fanned three.
Bradshaw, Shilt and Berry each had two hits in the second game.
Wright State (18-14, 6-3 Horizon) continues its six-game road swing this weekend with a three-game set against Green Bay. Due to poor field conditions at Ben Garot Softball Field on the Green Bay campus, the entire series will be played at Riverview Park in Allouez. The series will start with a single game Friday at 5:00 Eastern, followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 2:00 Dayton time.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cox, Allison (1-1)
L: McGEE, Sam (7-1)
Batting:
2B: Barrett, Lindsay 1
HR: Bradshaw, Kristen 1 ; Shilt, Justine 1
RBI: Birl, Briauna 2 ; Bradshaw, Kristen 2 ; Shilt, Justine 3 ; Jackson, Ashleigh 1
SF: Jackson, Ashleigh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Birl, Briauna 2 ; Perkins, Jamie 1 ; Bradshaw, Kristen 1 ; Shilt, Justine 1 ; Cox, Allison 1 ; Baker, Michelle 1 ; Barrett, Lindsay 1 ; Jackson, Ashleigh 1
SB: Bradshaw, Kristen 1
HBP: Cox, Allison 1
Batting:
2B: WOLTER, Ashley 1
SH: KORB, Karen 1
