Pride Takes Two From Garnet Softball, 11-0 and 6-4 (8)
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Visiting Widener scored two runs with two outs in the top of the eighth inning thanks in part to an error in the outfield, as the Pride rallied to defeat the Swarthmore College softball team 6-4 in the second game of the doubleheader, completing a two-game sweep on Thursday afternoon from the College. The Pride took the first game 11-0 in five innings.
Junior Krista Scheirer's home run to lead off the sixth inning of the second game - her second in as many days - tied the game at 4-4 for Swarthmore (7-11), but the Garnet could never quite get past the pesky Pride (11-3) - partly because of a defensive performance that was hampered by four errors and five unearned runs.
Riley allowed just one earned run over eight innings in her return to the mound.
Freshman Danielle Seltzer finished with two doubles and two RBIs, while senior Kathryn Riley (1-4) had two hits at the plate while taking the loss on the mound despite allowing just one earned run over eight innings and striking out five.
Swarthmore tied the game twice in the late innings of the back-and-forth second contest. Down 3-2 in the fifth inning, it was Seltzer's second double of the game into the right-center gap that tied the game 3-3. After Widener regained the lead in the top of the sixth, it was Scheirer's lead off home run (2) that brought the Garnet dugout to its feet and tied the game 4-4.
Following a scoreless seventh, the game went into extra innings and international tiebreaking rules went into effect, which places a runner on second base to start the inning. The Pride had runners on second and third with no one out to start the seventh inning, but Riley held her ground, forcing the next two batters to fly out. But Swat couldn't quite get out of the bases-loaded jam, as an error in right field brought home two Widener runs to make it a 6-4 game.
In the bottom of the eighth, Swarthmore was got runners to second and third, but Widener pitcher Kelsey Shultz got Kelsey Emmerson to pop up to end the game.
Shultz earned the win for Widener, going the distance while scattering seven hits.
In the first game, Widener used home runs from Kim Dougherty and Steph Connolly as well as a strong starting pitching performance from Dougherty (4.0 IP/6 K) to cruise to the 11-0 victory.
Swarthmore opens Centennial Conference play on Saturday at Dickinson.