CLERMONT, Fla. – The Gallaudet University softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games here Tuesday at The Spring Games at a windy Legends Complex.
Gallaudet (2-12) dropped an 11-3 decision in six innings to Edgewood College (3-9) in the morning. The Bison were shut out against Bates College (3-1) in a 15-0 five-inning contest in the afternoon.
The Bison got on the scoreboard first against Edgewood when first year
Shaelyn Johnson (Redlands, Calif.) doubled down the right field like to plate junior
Lou Cherena (El Paso, Texas), who started the inning with a walk.
The Eagles responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead.
GU cut the margin down to one run, 3-2, after junior
Lacey Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.) singled to center field to plate sophomore
Olivia Taufu'i (Blackfoot, Idaho), who tripled to right field. Drolsbaugh was thrown out at second base on the play. Gallaudet's next two batters in first year
Kinsley Bond (Beulaville, N.C.) and Cherena singled but another Bison got thrown out running the bases. GU ran itself out of the inning where it could possibly tie, if not take the lead.
Edgewood broke open the game with six runs in the bottom of the third to take a commanding 9-2 lead. The Eagles tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth.
GU got one run back in the fifth when Bond singled home Drolsbaugh as the Bison trailed by seven, 10-3, after five innings.
Edgewood ended the game in the sixth with a RBI single to activate the eight-run mercy rule after five innings.
Gallaudet starting pitcher
Olivia Wascher (Noblesville, Ind.) took the loss in the circle.
In the second game, Bates hit a grand slam and scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning off GU starting pitcher
Anya Pothorski (Columbus, Ohio) to jump out to a huge lead before the Bison even stepped to the plate to bat.
Bates starting pitcher Delaney Rankin retired the first 12 batters she faced. Bond recorded Gallaudet's only hit with a double in the bottom of the fifth inning. Rankin tallied two more strikeouts in the frame to end the game with nine strikeouts out of a possible 15 outs in the one-hit complete game victory.
UP NEXT
GU will take tomorrow off from games before playing two more contests on Wednesday, March 19, against Knox College (0-8) at 2 p.m. and Salem State University (3-0) at 4:15 p.m. on Field 3.