The Washington University softball team kicked off their 2006 campaign right where they left off from last season, when they finished with a school-record 47-3 mark. Competing in the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships over spring break in Altamonte Springs, Fla., the squad upended all competition, winning all eight games en route to their third consecutive UAA crown.

Junior pitcher Laurel Sagartz threw three complete-game shutouts, and has not allowed an earned run in UAA play in 71 innings. The Bears have won 27 straight UAA contests, and 39 straight regular season games.

The Bears started their run on Tuesday with wins over the University of Rochester and Brandeis University. Sagartz pitched her first shutout of the week, in which she struck out 15 batters. Coupled with two RBI performances by junior Jamie Kressel and freshman Lindsay Cavarra, the Bears went on to score a 7-0 victory over the Yellow Jackets of Rochester. The Bears then pounded Brandeis with 19 runs on 20 hits en route to a 19-1 victory. Freshman Susan Gray allowed just one hit over four innings, and junior Monica Hanono, senior Amanda Roberts, sophomore Amy Vukovich and sophomore Laura D’Andrea all added three hits apiece.

On day two, facing Sagartz’ sister, Ruthe, the Bears defeated Case Western Reserve by a score of 8-0. Sophomore Kaylyn Eash allowed no runs on two hits in five innings, and senior Amanda Roberts went three-for-four with three RBI as the University improved to 3-0 in UAA play.

Thursday’s doubleheader began by pitting the Bears against their toughest competition, the Emory University Eagles. Once again, the Lady Bears rose to the occasion, defeating their 11th-ranked rivals 4-0. Sagartz pitched her second shutout, giving up just two hits and striking out nine, and Kressel and D’Andrea added two RBI each. In the second half of the double dip, the Bears knocked off Rochester again, this time by a score of 6-3. Kressel went two-for-three with three RBI’s, and Vukovich added two RBI’s of her own as the Bears improved to 5-0 in tournament play.

On Friday the Bears took out Brandeis for the second time, knocking off the Judges 11-3. Kressel hit a lead off home run in the second inning as part of a four-run second inning. The Bears added six more in the fourth, highlighted by a three-run D’Andrea homerun.

During the final day of the tournament, the Bears needed a win over Emory to clinch the UAA title, but would have to wait until the second game. In the first game, the Bears downed Case Western 10-2, thanks to excellent performances by Sagartz and Vukovich, who both went two-for-three at the plate with three RBI’s apiece.

The second game against Emory would prove to be the first tough test for the University. A true pitchers duel, the Bears managed only one hit in the game. After a scoreless first inning, the Bears got on the board in the second without even getting a hit. D’Andrea walked to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by Sagartz. After a Vukovich groundout advanced D’Andrea to third, she finally scored when Cavarra reached on an error to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. With Sagartz on the mound, this would be all the squad needed to prevail. She struck out eight batters and surrendered just three hits, as the Bears held off the Eagles to clinch the UAA title.

“It was great to start the season off by winning the UAAs,” said D’Andrea. “But winning the conference is just one step towards our goal of winning a national championship.”

With the UAAs behind them, the team now looks to the rest of the season with promise and enthusiasm.

“I think we have a promising season ahead of us. We have a strong offensive lineup from lead off to ninth, so if we continue to be aggressive at the plate and clean up our defense a little we’re good to go,” said Hanono. “Our strongest opponent is ourselves.”

The Bears started their trip in Kissimmee, Fla., at the Rebel Spring Games. The Bears took all four games, winning both the first two games by a 4-1 mark over Manhattanville College and Wittenberg University, respectively. They followed these up with a 4-0 blanking of William Patterson University and an 8-4 victory over the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

The Lady Bears return to action this weekend when they host the Midwest Region Invitational. The first matchup takes place Friday night at 7 p.m., as the Bears take on the College of St. Scholastica.

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