MADISON, Wis. – The Edgewood College softball team suffered a pair of tough defeats on the final doubleheader of their 10-game spring break trip in a 6-2 defeat to the College at Brockport (N.Y.) in game one and a wild 9-8 loss against Salem State University (Mass.) that ended in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded.
Sophomore Grace Delleman accounted for both of the Eagles' runs in their game one defeat to the College at Brockport, 6-2, after scoring on a wild pitch in the second and adding an RBI double in the sixth. She finished 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. It wasn't enough against a Brockport (4-3) offense that recorded 12 hits, led from the opening pitch, and won for the fourth time in their last five games.
Junior starter Shannon Whitmus (2-10) posted her eighth start of at least six or more innings and surrendered six earned runs, 12 hits, while striking out three.
Golden Eagle starter Amanda Conlon improved to 2-1 after striking out seven hitters, allowing six hits, and giving up two earned runs. Catcher Karleigh Eaton, hitting from the seven-spot, recorded a game-high three hits and drove in Brockport's last three runs with an RBI single in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh.
The Eagles surrendered a six-run lead in a wild 9-8 defeat to Salem State University (7-3) in a game that featured seven errors, 22 hits, and eight walks.
Trailing 9-6 going into the seventh, the Eagles scored on a pair of bases loaded, two-out walks by Karly Vigani and Whitmus to cut the Vikings lead to one in the top of the frame. Freshman Elizabeth Soter came to the plate with the go-ahead run at second and laced a hard hit ball to right field that was snagged for the final out.
The Eagle rally fell short after surrendering a 6-0 lead through the game's first two innings. An opportunistic Eagle offense took advantage of three Viking errors to creatively score four unearned runs over that span. In total, they scored on Delleman's sacrifice fly, a throwing error, Megan Hauge's two-run triple, Sabrina Luedtke's RBI walk, and a fielding error.
Salem State flipped the script and rallied for two runs in the bottom of the second then exploded for five runs on six hits in the third to take a 7-6 lead.
Junior Megan Hauge, who logged her first appearance in the field after subbing in at first base during the opening frame, was one of four Eagles with two hits to go with a team-best two RBI. Whitmus, Delleman, and nine-hole hitter Hannah Parisi also tallied two hits each.
Whitmus (2-10) tossed her eighth complete game and allowed seven earned runs to go with four strikeouts. The Verona, Wis. native, who ranks second on the team with a .317 batting average, also scored a run, knocked in one RBI, and earned a season-high two walks in a strong offensive showing. Her plate discipline sparked an Eagles team that recorded a season-high four walks.
April Adams and Molly McLean each added three hits and two RBI for the Salem State offense while reliever Meghan Black (5-0) stayed undefeated after giving up two runs and five hits over the last five innings.
The Eagles will take advantage of their fortnight of rest before opening up NACC play in a doubleheader at Lakeland University on Saturday, April 1 at 12:00 p.m.
