Box Score
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Edgewood College softball team opened their season on Wednesday night at the Tucson Invitational Games against Whitworth University. The Eagles fell behind early and were never able to recover as the Pirates took the contest 18-5 in five innings.
After the Eagles (0-1) went down in order in the top of the first inning, Whitworth (6-9) scored four runs in the bottom half of the frame. In the inning, the Pirates plated four runs on four hits and two Eagle errors to take an early 4-0 lead.
The Eagles threatened with two outs in the second inning as Kristen Salvatore drew a walk and Monica Humphrey followed with a single. However, Edgewood College did not push any runs across. The Pirates broke the game open in the home half of the inning with 14 runs. The inning was highlighted by a Heather Hesselgesser three-run home run that gave the Pirates an 18-0 lead going into the third inning.
Edgewood College got on the scoreboard in the third inning when they tallied three runs. Karmen Dorshorst led off the inning with a bunt single and after an out, Pam Sommer singled two put two runners on. Colleen Joyce then drove in Dorshorst to get the Eagles on the board, and then Rachel Elliott laced a single up the middle that scored Sommer and Jessica Spitzer who reached on an error.
After Kayla Rackow walked in the fourth inning, Dorshorst dropped down another bunt single to give Edgewood College runners on first and second with nobody out. Spitzer drove in Rackow with a ground-rule double to left field and Joyce singled home Dorshorst to cut the deficit to 18-5. Edgewood College could not come back in the fifth inning as they fell to Pirates in five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.
Joyce and Dorshorst led the Eagles at the plate as they both went 2-for-3 and accounted for four runs. Joyce drove in two runs and Dorshorst scored twice. Elliott also tallied two runs batted in for the Eagles while going 1-for-3. In the circle it was freshman Claire Blake who started the first game of her career. She lasted just one and one-third innings and gave up 16 runs with only seven of them being earned. Brittany Andrews went the final two and two-thirds innings and gave up only two runs while striking out three Pirates.
Edgewood College will continue play in the Tucson Invitational Games tomorrow when the play St. Joseph's College and Calvin College on Thursday morning. First pitches are scheduled for 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. mountain time, respectively. Edgewood College will provide live stats for both contests, the link can be found on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
