Spartans Force a Split in Softball Doubleheader

Meredith College Sports Information Department

Taylor Jackson pitches to the Spartans

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Meredith College softball Angels held on for a 3-2 win over the visiting Case Western Reserve Spartans in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. But the visitor bats rallied to force a split on a 5-1 victory in the nightcap. Outfielders Maria Annunziata and rookie Ellen Blevins were the big hitters for the day with three apiece, including a combined three RBI.

The Meredith defense handled the Spartans in the first half of the opening frame in order to return to the dugout to bat.

Blevins opened with a single, and Courtney Saunders moved her teammate to second with a sacrifice. Brittany Bucklin advanced on a base-on-balls, and the runners moved into scoring position on the next at-bat. Annunziata scored Blevins with a single through the leftside before being thrown out to end the inning.

After a scoreless three and one half innings, Blevins crushed a line drive to rightfield for a two-RBI homer to advance Meredith's lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth.

The Spartans scored on an error in the top of six and added another run in the top of seven. Meredith's Taylor Jackson left the tying Spartan on base with a strikeout to give the Angels their third win on the season.

Jackson earned the win and Case Western's Annie Wennerberg recorded the loss.

An early miscue in the first at-bat of game two advanced a Spartan runner eventually to second base. Katie Wede scored on a Lindsey Robinson single, as the Spartans held an early 1-0 lead.

Meredith recorded just two hits during the next five innings but scored no runs to leave CWR out front.

Case scored their second run on a long hit to left center, but the Angels responded in the bottom of the frame with a run off a Bucklin single to keep the game close.

In the top of the seventh, the Spartans placed two runners on base, but Bucklin and Bryce Smith putout the runner heading home to hold Case Western. An unfortunate attempt to pickoff the third base runner led to two Spartan runs, and Wennerberg launched a homer over the center field fence to add two more to secure the split.

Lauren Marbrey earned the loss for Meredith, and CWR's Rebecca Molnar recorded her first win of the season.

Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two