Published: April 25, 2008 12:48 am            

Let’s play two! Rose, Woods split softball doubleheader

TERRE HAUTE — Not unlike the hotly-contested Democratic Presidential primary race which comes to Indiana in less than two weeks, there wasn’t much to choose between the Rose-Hulman and St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball teams either.

Both teams received good pitching performances, but both teams also demonstrated they can put plentiful runs on the scoreboard.

The two Vigo County collegiate rivals split their annual doubleheader, the Woods winning the first game 7-1, before the host Engineers withstood a late rally by SMWC — the final out a bit controversial — to win the nightcap 7-4 on Thursday.

“Both teams played well … put the ball in play offensively,” stated SMWC coach Gary Rodgers. “Coming over here I told the kids [Rose] was a team just like we are. We’re pretty similar in a lot of aspects and it showed here tonight. Both teams got a split, both teams did exactly what I figured they would do.”

“Still, it’s pretty tough when you outhit them and still lose the [second] game. That’s the tough part. But pretty proud of the kids the way we came back here. But hey, Rose has a pretty good ballclub.”

Rose coach Brian Shearer concurred as to the similarities between the two teams, noting, “St. Mary-of-the-Woods has a good hitting team. We knew it would be a tough two games. Yeah, I’d say we are pretty evenly matched. Good competition.”

In the opener, SMWC plated a two-out run in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Aubrey Stich singled, Ashley Loomis doubled, then Lindsey McNulty drove in Stich with a RBI-single.

There the score stayed as the game set up to be a pitching duel between the Woods’ Loomis and the Engineers’ freshman hurler C.J. Weist.

But SMWC got the merry-go-round fired up in the fifth inning to blow this game open. SMWC’s first seven batters all reached base safely, all going station to station, to build a 7-1 lead.

A walk (Loomis), two singles (McNulty and Jessica Ketner) loaded the bases. Six runs followed as Ashley Sankey was hit by a pitch (RBI), Casey Simmons (RBI) and Amanda McGlone singled (RBI), Kea Silcock walked (RBI), Katelyn Tillotson reached on an error (RBI) then Loomis drove in a run with single.

Loomis was never really threatened the rest of the game for the Woods, tossing a three-hitter with her only run allowed being unearned.

In the second game, the Woods once again jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Silcock doubled to left, then scored on a single up the middle by Stich.

But Rose woke up their bats in the second inning, scoring three times, then added four tallies in the fourth inning.

In the Rose second, Kristin Green singled, then with two outs Angela Starner walked. Samantha Bernthold served a line-drive triple to the left-centerfield gap, scoring both runners. One pitch later, Bernthold scored on a wild pitch.

In the third inning, Rose took advantage of a pair of SMWC errors to score four unearned runs. The big blows were a two-run double by eighth-place batter Kayla Yano and a two-out single by Bernthold.

The Woods would get within 7-3 on a pair of unearned runs off Rose starter Jordan Goslee in the fourth inning. With two outs, Chelsea Gerber singled in McNulty and Ketner.

Goslee proceeded to retire seven of the next eight batters and appeared to be sailing along to a rather easy victory.

In the SMWC seventh, Gerber led off with a double, then Goslee retired the next two batters. But with two outs, Tillotson singled in Gerber to get within 7-4, then Chelsea Baker walked to bring the potential tying run to the plate.

McNulty hit a line drive off the foot of Goslee, deflecting toward the shortstop position — apparently loading the bases.

But the base umpire conferred with the home plate umpire, and the Woods runner was ruled out due to interference with the Rose shortstop fielding the ball. Just like that, a promising rally turned into the end of the game.

Rose-Hulman (22-10) honored its five seniors — Katie Frey, Maggard, Ashley Montgomery, Samantha Steele and Katie Yiznitsky — between games. They close out their regular season with a twinbill at Hanover on Saturday.

“We’ve got two conference games Saturday and right now we stand 11-3 in the [Heartland Collegiate Athletic] conference,” Shearer said. “As long as we take care of business there, we’ll be hosting the conference tournament here.

SMWC (25-13-1) will play at home both Saturday and Sunday.



SMWC 7, Rose-Hulman 1

Game 1

SMWC ab r h bi Rose-Hulman ab r h bi

Silcock lf 4 0 1 1 Bernthold cf 3 1 1 0

Tillotson dp 3 0 0 1 Mntgmry 2b 3 0 0 0

Haase rf 0 0 0 0 Greer ss 3 0 1 0

Stich 1b 5 1 1 0 Yiznitsky c 3 0 0 0

Loomis p 4 0 3 1 Goslee lf 2 0 0 0

Gerber cr 0 1 0 0 Maggard dp-p 3 0 0 0

McNulty 2b 4 1 2 1 Weist p 0 0 0 0

Ketner 3b 4 1 2 0 Frey 1b 3 0 1 0

Sankey c 3 1 1 1 Sheets rf 1 0 0 0

Simmons ss 4 1 1 1 Lutz ph 1 0 0 0

McGlone cf 4 1 1 1 Yano ph 1 0 0 0

Thomas 3b 2 0 0 0

Totals 35 7 12 7 Totals 25 1 3 0

SMWC 100 060 0 — 7

Rose-Hulman 000 001 0 — 1

E — Haase, Ketner, Greer, Thomas. LOB — SMWC 13, R-H 4. 2B — Loomis.

IP H R ER BB SO

SMWC

Loomis (W, 15-6) 7 3 1 0 1 3

Rose-Hulman

Weist (L, 3-3) 4 10 7 7 4 2

Maggard 3 2 0 0 1 5

Weist pitched to seven batters in the 5th inning.

HBP — by Weist (Sankey). T — 1:50.



Rose-Hulman 7, SMWC 4

Game 2

SMWC ab r h bi Rose-Hulman ab r h bi

Silcock lf 4 1 2 0 Bernthold cf 4 1 4 3

Gerber cf 4 1 3 2 Mntgmry 2b 2 0 0 0

Stich p 4 0 1 1 Lutz dp 3 1 1 0

Loomis 1b 4 0 1 0 Thomas 3b 0 0 0 0

Tillotson dp 4 0 1 1 Yiznitsky c 4 1 0 0

Simmons ss 0 0 0 0 Goslee p 3 0 0 0

Baker c 3 0 1 0 Greer ss 3 2 3 0

McNulty 2b 4 1 0 0 Maggard 1b 1 1 0 0

Ketner 3b 3 1 1 0 Yano rf 3 0 1 2

McGlone rf 3 0 1 0 Starner lf 2 1 0 0

Totals 33 4 11 4 Totals 25 7 9 5

SMWC 100 200 1 — 4

Rose-Hulman 034 000 x — 7

E — Gerber, Ketner 3, Thomas. LOB — SMWC 9, R-H 6. 2B — Silcock, Gerber 2, Yano. 3B — Bernthold. SH — Montgomery 2, Maggard 2.

IP H R ER BB SO

SMWC

Stich (L, 6-4) 6 9 7 3 2 2

Rose-Hulman

Goslee (W, 11-2 7 11 4 2 1 9

WP — Stich 2. T — 1:46.

Next — Rose-Hulman (22-10) travels to Hanover College for a doubleheader on Saturday. SMWC (25-13-1) plays host to Taylor University the same day.

        

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