Pam Buzzetta/Student LifeThe softball continued bouncing in the Bears’ favor this weekend as the Washington University softball team tallied its 20th victory for the fourth consecutive season.
The Bears took on Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, Saturday in Ernie Banks fashion, suiting up for a twin bill. Even with two games, the Bears showed no signs of fatigue in 10-0 and 13-3 triumphs over the Blue Jays. The bats sizzled, the defense was a curtain, and pitchers Lorri Fehlker and Victoria Ramsey were dominant on the mound.
In Saturday’s early game, the Bears were held scoreless until the third inning, when they exploded for four runs. They followed up with six runs in the fourth. WU scratched the four runs in the third on a number of miscues by the Blue Jays, including fielding errors and a passed ball. A 3-RBI double by third baseman Kristin Harrer highlighted the fourth inning.
Ramsey held the Jays in check for the entire game, surrendering one single in the fifth with two outs, breaking up a no-hitter. The Jays committed four errors in the contest, certainly factoring into the Bears’ win. But the mishaps were not the deciding factor in the Bears victory, as WU proved in the nightcap.
After the early romp, the Bears actually got stronger in the second half of the twin bill, pushing across 13 runs in another victory via the 10 run margin. Catcher Stephanie Sheppard was not retired in the game, connecting for four hits in four plate appearances and driving in a pair of WU baserunners. Shortstop Monica Hanono was the big run producer, plating five in a 2-for-3 effort.
Pitcher Lorri Fehlker held the Jays in check, surrendering three runs over five innings. Fehlker’s effort did not match Ramsey’s but certainly was effective and efficient, as she walked nary a Blue Jay and struck out two. The Bears drew nine walks to complement their eleven hits to finish off Westminster.
“We were really on our game this weekend, but Westminster was pretty weak,” first baseman Liz Smith said. “We hit everything they threw at us.”
WU has stressed getting on base all season long, and the hard work in practice came to fruition against Westminster, allowing the Bears’ run producers multiple RBI opportunities. The Blue Jays could not keep WU off the base paths, a result of pitching futility and poor defense.
“We were always on base, in fact, we batted around in one inning,” Smith said.
Certainly the team can be high on confidence at this point. The Bears play six of their next eight games at home, with doubleheaders on Thursday against Blackburn College and again on Saturday against MacMurray College. With 16 games left on the slate, the Bears will likely move past the thirty win mark. Now that the team is nationally ranked, a good seed in the May tournament is likely if the Bears continue their strong play.