Press Release Written by Nathan Foltz
NEW CASTLE, Del. - - Bridgeport came to town and spoiled Senior Day for the Wilmington University softball team, taking a pair of games by scores of 3-2 and 7-4 at Asbury Field in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference tilt.
Bridgeport (26-18) strengthens its positioning in the CACC standings by improving to 11-5 and currently sit in third place with one doubleheader to go. Wilmington is in sixth with an 8-8 conference record and an 18-26 mark overall.
The Wildcats held Bridgeport to just three hits in Game 1, but some sixth-inning defensive mistakes led to the Purple Knights scoring all three of their runs. Then, in Game 2, Bridgeport jumped starter Olivia Hitchens for two runs in the first inning and hit a three-run homer in the third to bury the Wildcats.
GAME 1:
It was a pitchers' duel through the first three and a half innings of Game 1, as Bridgeport could only muster one baserunner off of Maddie Vollmar.
Wilmington broke through first in the bottom of the fourth, with Vollmar hitting a one-out triple and Jess Reed shooting a single through the left side with two outs to score her.
After shutting down the Purple Knights again in the fifth, Vollmar ran into some trouble in the top of the sixth. She issued a four-pitch walk to the leadoff hitter, and then the inning's second batter reached after the Wildcats unsuccessfully tried to get the lead runner at second base on a sac bunt. The next Purple Knight tried to sac bunt as well, and Vollmar threw the ball into left field trying to once again get the lead runner, this time at third. That allowed Bridgeport to tie the game, and then they took a 3-1 lead two batters later on a two RBI single.
Wilmington tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, starting things off with a pinch-hit double by Hailey Trapani. Mia Keenan eventually brought her in with a single to second base up the middle, but she was stranded at second to end the game.
Vollmar was the recipient of the hard-luck loss, allowing three runs in 5.1 innings. She gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out two. Kasey Xenidis covered the final 2.1, allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out two.
Senior Jess Reed was the only Wildcat with multiple hits, going 2-3 with a pair of singles and an RBI. Haley Grygo and Trapani each had a double, while Vollmar picked up her CACC-leading seventh triple. Keenan and Reed had RBIs while Addison Sabo stole a base.
GAME 2:
The nightcap got off to a rough start for Wilmington, as Bridgeport scored two runs before recording an out. After an RBI single and double, though, Olivia Hitchens was able to get three pop-outs with a walk mixed in to limit the damage to just the two runs.
The Wildcats were able to at least get a run back in the bottom of the first, with Jaydyn Beall scampering home on back-to-back wild pitches.
The Wildcats were held scoreless through the next two frames, however, while Bridgeport tacked on another four between the third and fourth innings. The three Purple Knight runs in the third came on a three-run homer that knocked Hitchens out of the game, and then an inside the parker down the right field line in the fourth made it 6-1 Bridgeport.
Rylee Maloney had a pinch hit sac fly in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-2, but that was all the Wildcats could make out of bases loaded and one out.
They clawed a little closer in the bottom of the fifth, as a two-run homer by senior Gabriella Saucedo made it a 6-4 ballgame.
Bridgeport tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth, but the damage could've been a lot worse, as the Wildcats threw out a pair of runners at the plate in the inning.
Wilmington put two on with two out in the seventh, but Mia Lane flied out to end the game.
Olivia Hitchens took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over 2.1. Karen Sickle threw an inning and two-thirds of one-run ball, with the only hit being the inside-the-park home run. Clara Babyak pitched the final three innings, allowing a run on five hits with three walks and four punch outs.
Senior Gabriella Saucedo provided the pop for Wilmington, going 2-4 with a double and a two-run homer. The Wildcats' other five hits were spread across five different hitters, with Jess Reed reaching in all four plate appearances (1-1 with three walks).
UP NEXT:
Wilmington will play its final regular season series of the year on Wednesday at Chestnut Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Philadelphia.