Press Release written by Nathan Foltz
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - - The Wilmington University softball team dropped another pair of games on Sunday, this time at West Chester to the Golden Rams, with the final scores going 10-0 and 4-3.
After falling to the run rule in Game 1, Wilmington looked to end its 12-game skid going into the bottom of the seventh of Game 2. West Chester had other plans, though, scoring three runs with two outs to walk it off.
Wilmington's program record-long losing streak now stands at 13 games, as they have been outscored by opponents 97-20 in the stretch on their way to a 3-15 start to the season.
GAME 1:
A second-inning single by Rylee Maloney and a third-inning double by Addison Sabo were the only hits produced by the Wildcats in Game 1. Though they only struck out once in the five-inning contest, every piece of contact seemed to find a Golden Ram defender.
West Chester scored four quickly off of Maddie Vollmar in the first, who yielded those runs on four hits, two walks, and a hit by pitch. Olivia Hitchens gave up just one run in the second inning, but she didn't record an out in the third as four more runs were charged to her line. Kasey Xenidis finished the inning, but gave up an earned run of her own. Julia Scannapieco threw the bottom of the fourth inning and started things off with two walks, but got out of it without any further damage on a 6-5-4 double play and a ground out to third.
In total, Wilmington's pitching allowed 10 runs on 11 hits and seven walks with one strikeout in four innings. Only two runners made it to scoring position - Sabo on her double and Clara Babyak after reaching on an error and moving up to second on a groundout.
GAME 2:
Both teams were held scoreless in the early going, though Wilmington had its opportunities with five runners reaching scoring position in the first five innings.
West Chester scored first in the bottom of the fifth, plating a run on a steal of home with runners on the corners. The runner on first stole second, and an offline throw down allowed the runner on third to dash home.
Wilmington responded quickly, though, as Caroline Scott led off the top of the sixth with an opposite-field bomb to tie things up. After Gabriella Saucedo singled and was thrown out stealing, the Wildcats capitalized on a pair of West Chester errors. Cassidy Zelano got to second on a throwing error by the pitcher, and then Rylee Maloney poked a ball to the right side that was booted by the first baseman, allowing Zelano to come home. Angelina Edwards singled to the second baseman next, but after a double steal of second and third by Maloney and Edwards' pinch runners, Mia Lane and Kasey Xenidis struck out to end the rally.
The Wildcats tacked on another run in the top of the seventh thanks to an RBI single by Saucedo, and after Xenidis retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the inning, Wilmington was eyeing a 3-1 victory. West Chester wasn't deterred, however, hitting back-to-back singles to put runners on base before back-to-back game-tying and game-winning doubles ended it.
It was the second time in the last four games that Wilmington lost a multi-run lead in the seventh inning with two outs, coming two days after a two-out three-run homer by East Stroudsburg in the top of the seventh of Game 1 gave the Warriors a lead they didn't relinquish. They went on to score a fourth run in that inning and won 7-5.
Kasey Xenidis was charged with the heartbreaking loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Three Wildcats tallied multiple hits, as Caroline Scott, Gabriella Saucedo, and Cassidy Zelano all went 2-4. Scott's hits were both for extra bases, with a double and a homer.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats have a homestand on the horizon, as they'll be playing their next six games at Asbury Field. It'll start on Tuesday against Bloomsburg, with first pitch of Game 1 set for 2:30 pm.