Scott BresslerThere are wins and then there are slaughters. Washington University’s 23rd-ranked softball team absolutely dominated Blackburn College in a doubleheader Wednesday, combining for 34 runs, 36 hits and 10 home runs in the two-game sweep. Despite being five players short for the away games, the Bears defeated Blackburn decidedly in the first game 10-0, then went on an all-out offensive rout in the second game, winning 24-2 and scoring 15 runs in the first inning.
“It was a little challenging, but we still managed to work hard together,” said senior captain Jamie Kressel of playing short-handed. “It ended up being a lot of fun when we’re all hitting the ball well.”
Wash. U. got the offense going in the second inning of the first game. After a leadoff double by junior Amy Vukovich, classmate Krista Swip hit the first home run of her career to put the Bears up 2-0. Two batters later, junior Kaylyn Eash connected as well, making the score 3-0. The Bears added two more runs in the inning with RBI singles by sophomore Lindsay Cavarra and senior Laurel Sagartz.
Wash. U. added another run in the third and two runs in each the fourth and fifth. Kressel homered in the fifth, the first of four by Kressel on the day. Her performance moved her into first on the Wash. U. all-time home run list, with 30 in her career.
Sagartz pitched five shutout innings for the complete game, holding Blackburn to just two hits and striking out eight. Sagartz lowered her earned run average to just 0.32 on the season, which leads all of Division III.
If the first game showed dominance, the second game was an absolute blowout, highlighted by a 15-run first inning. Blackburn got off to a rough start with some poor defense and the first three Wash. U. batters reached on errors to load the bases. Following a strikeout by Cavarra, Sagartz connected for a grand slam to put the Bears up immediately 4-0. Kressel and Vukovich each had 3-run homers in the inning as well and Blackburn racked up five errors before three outs were recorded.
Wash. U. put up a couple more runs in the second on Kressel’s third homer of the night, a two-run shot that scored freshman Caitlyn Hoffman. Kressel is just the 25th player in Division III history to hit at least three home runs in a single game.
The homer-happy Bears added seven more runs in the fifth to seal the victory, as Eash, Kressel and Sagartz each connected to bring the home run total up to ten on the evening, shattering the previous single game record of four. Their 24 runs also set a new school record.
The offensive success did a lot for the team mentally as well.
“I think it makes us much more confident going up to the plate and it really just was a lot of fun,” said Kressel. “It brings our team closer together.”
Eash pitched for the victory in the second game, giving up two earned runs and scattering six hits over five innings while striking out two. The win moves Eash’s record to 2-1 on the season.
Wash. U. continued its string of strong performances on Thursday, sweeping a doubleheader at home against Illinois College. The Bears won the first game 4-1 and the second 6-2. After Thursday’s games the Red and Green extended their win streak to 13 games.
The Bears next chance for dominance comes Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. versus Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. They return home on Saturday April 28 playing Maryville University at noon.