Game One Box Score |
Game Two Box Score ALLIANCE, Ohio - Capital snapped a four-game losing streak and pulled itself back into the Ohio Athletic Conference softball playoff picture with a sweep at Mount Union on Wednesday afternoon. CU took the opener, 5-3, before holding on for a 4-3 victory in the finale.
The Crusaders (14-10, 4-4 OAC) now sit in sixth place in the OAC standings just behind a trio of teams with a 4-2 conference record. Mount Union fell to 15-13 overall and 3-5 in OAC action.
After the host Purple Raiders pulled ahead 2-0 after four innings of play in the opener, Capital scored two runs in the top of the fifth to even the score. Freshman Nicole Pfenning (Howe, Ind/Howe HS) drove in a run on a groundball to the pitcher followed by another RBI groundout back to the circle by sophomore Sarah Finkel (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Bishop Ready HS).
The Crusaders scored two more runs in the top of the sixth on a rally that began with a two-out walk by sophomore Jen Reimer (Hamilton, Ohio/Edgewood HS). Junior Brittany Stefano (Uniontown, Ohio/Uniontown Lake HS) followed with an RBI double and then moved to third on a wild pitch. Freshman Kacee Boham (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South HS) drew another two-out walk and then stole second after the second Purple Raider pitching change of the inning. Pfenning then picked up her second RBI in as many innings with a single up the middle that scored Stefano from third, but Boham was thrown out at the plate to end the rally with Capital on top 4-2.
CU added another key run in the top of the seventh on a RBI single by sophomore Ashley Daugherty (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) and held off a late charge by MUC to win, 5-3.
In game two, freshman Christa Alvich (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) and junior Liz Dumas (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial HS) paced the Crusader offense with two hits apiece as Capital rode a three-run first inning to a 4-3 victory. Alvich finished 2-for-4 with a run scored while Dumas was 2-for-3 with an RBI to complete the sweep.
Stefano pitched a pair of complete games for Capital to lift her record to 13-5 on the season. She combined to strikeout nine batters on the day while surrendering just two walks.
Capital will return home to face Heidelberg in an OAC doubleheader scheduled for Friday at Clowson Field beginning at 1 p.m.