Scots Wrap Up First Week in Florida

One week into its Spring Break trip to Fort Myers, Florida, The College of Wooster softball team has rebounded from an 0-3 start to win four of its last seven games to move to 4-5-1 overall on the young season. The Fighting Scots have one more week remaining in southwest Florida in which they will play six games and look to return north with a .500 record or better.

Wooster came up empty in the first three games of the trip, suffering shutout losses to Defiance College (0-5) and Geneva College (0-3) sandwiched around a loss to Heidelberg in eight innings (10-11). Despite allowing 19 runs in those games, only six were earned due to eight Scot errors in the field.

The offense turned it up a notch in the next contest, trouncing Skidmore College 26-2 on March 13. Wooster managed 11 runs in the opening inning and never looked back, holding the Thoroughbreds without a hit until the fifth inning.

The Scots faltered in the next contest, falling 4-0 to Montclair State University, but rebounded by run-ruling Richard Stockton College 8-0 in six innings. Freshman Katie Pifer picked up the victory, scattering seven hits over six innings for her first career shutout.

In a rematch with Defiance on March 16, Wooster pushed the Yellow Jackets to the limit, tying the game 1-1 in the top of the seventh on a one-out, pinch hit inside-the-park home run by newcomer Katelynn Caywood. Defiance, however, rebounded with a run in the bottom half of the frame to win the game 2-1. Later that day, the Scots and Roger Williams University participated in a see-saw battle for nine innings until settling for a 3-3 tie.

Wooster tacked on a pair of victories on Saturday, March 18, downing St. Joseph’s College 5-0 and Bates College 9-6. Junior Maria Gonzalez provided the big stick on the day, knocking in three runs with a triple against St. Joseph’s, and then driving in five more with a pair of home runs against Bates.

Over the first week, the Scots have posted nearly a .300 batting average as a team (.296), including hitting at a clip of .317 over the last seven games. Gonzalez leads the way with a .459 average (17-for-37) with 10 runs scored, two doubles, three triples, two home runs, and 16 RBI.

Sophomore Molly Gaffney has started her encore season very strong, hitting at a .381 clip (12-for-31), to go along with six runs scored, six RBI, and three stolen bases. Also batting over .300 is Caywood with eight hits in 24 at bats (.333), while junior Lauren Schreur (8-for-28), senior Angie Triplett (6-for-21), and freshman Courtney Joliat (9-for-32) are all over .280.

The pitching staff, anchored by a pair of first-years, has more than held its own through the first week of the season, posting a combined 1.59 ERA. Pifer is 4-2 overall with an ERA below 1.00 (0.94), while Alli Hall has proven to be a capable No. 2 starter, holding opponents to a .271 batting average (23-for-85).

Since a rocky start in the first three games, the defense has buckled down and committed just eight errors over its last seven contests. Gaffney, after making 17 errors at shortstop last season, has been solid in the infield thus far in 2006, committing just two miscues in 50 chances (.960).