Starting Pitching Paces Wilkes Softball in Doubleheader Sweep
EDWARDSVILLE, PA – The Wilkes University softball team won 1-0 and 3-0 over Delaware Valley on Thursday afternoon thanks to a pair of stellar pitching performances in the circle.
With the wins, Wilkes improves to 22-13 overall and 7-5 in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom.
After Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) stranded Aggies on first and second to end the top of the first, Gab Giordano (Moscow, PA/Holy Cross) led off the bottom half of the inning with a line drive that cleared the center field fence to give the Colonels an early 1-0 lead.
Staunton retired Delaware Valley in order in the second and third but Wilkes was unable to plate Giordano after a two-out double in the third, keeping the advantage at just one.
After Staunton worked around a leadoff single in the fourth, she hit a double of her own to center field with two outs in the bottom half of the inning but the Colonels would again strand a runner in scoring position.
The Aggies singled to start the fifth as well but couldn't get anything going as the next three batters were retired to end the frame.
Delaware Valley left a runner on the base in the top of the sixth as Wilkes looked to add an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning after a leadoff double to left field by Caitlin Brown (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove). Unfortunately, the following three Colonels hitters were unable to get the job done as the Aggies headed to their last at-bat trailing 1-0.
It was a quick final frame for the visitors though as Staunton sat them down 1-2-3 to finish off the complete game, four-hitter with eight strikeouts that improved her record to 9-5 on the season.
Game two was another pitcher's duel as the game remained scoreless heading to the bottom of the sixth inning. Brown changed that in a hurry as she began the frame by launching a 2-1 pitch over the left center field wall to break the tie. The Colonels were not done however as Erin Cabry (York, PA/Central York) hit one through the left side before stealing second base with one out. That brought up the pitcher Celine Podlesney (Hazle Twp., PA/Hazleton) who helped her own cause with a double off the center field wall to trade places with Cabry and give Wilkes a 2-0 advantage. The Colonels added one more with a two-out RBI single to center by Jessie Smith (Millersville, MD/Severna Park) to make it a 3-0 margin heading to the seventh.
Similar to the game one, Podlesney retired the Aggies in order to complete the one-hitter while striking out eight in her eighth win of the year.
Wilkes continues its home stand on Wednesday, April 24th when it welcomes Susquehanna to the Ralston Athletic Complex for a doubleheader that begins at 5:00 p.m.
