Wilkes Softball Takes Two on Opening Day of Spring Break Trip
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Wilkes University softball team used strong pitching and timely hitting to begin the season with a pair of five inning victories Monday afternoon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Colonels began the day with a 9-1 win over Cairn University before besting Penn State Mont Alto 10-2 later in the day.
Rhia Aurand (Avondale, PA/Avon Grove) was the story in game one win over Cairn as the senior went all five innings allowing just three hits and one run while striking out seven.
Wilkes scoffed three runs in their first at-bats capped off by a
Jessie Smith (Millersville, MD/Severna Park) RBI double to left field to pish the advantage to 3-0 after one inning of play.
The lead grew to 6-0 after two innings as RBI ground outs from Carly Endrres and
Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) and an RBI double from
Erin Cabry (York, PA/Central York) did all the damage for the Colonels at the plate.
Nicole Howel knocked in the ninth run of the game to seal the win for Wilkes in the bottom of the fourth as the Colonels scored three more times in the frame.
In the second win of the day,
Hope Mullins (Midland, VA/Liberty) was equally as impressive in the circle going all five innings allowing four hits and two runs while striking out nine on way to the victory.
After Penn State Mont Alto scored two runs in the top of the first thanks to a two-run home run, Wilkes responded with ten unanswered runs over the next five at-bat to walk away with its second five-inning win of the day.
Rachel Pritchard (Wilmington, DE/Concord) began the scoring with a two-run double followed by an
Emma Stauffer (Media, PA/Penncrest) sacrifice fly as the Colonels scored three in the bottom of the first to take the lead.
Pritchard and Stauffer did it again in the bottom of the second using back-to-back RBI singles to push the lead up to 6-2.
Calaman added an RBI single to center field in the bottom of the fourth and then doubled home two more later in the bottom of the fifth to end the game due to the eight-run rule.
Wilkes returns to action tomorrow (Tuesday) with two games on the day. The Colonels open with a 1:30 p.m. matchup against North Carolina Wesleyan College before a 5:30 nightcap against Kean University.
