Scots Ready to Return North Following Completion of Spring Break Trip

First-year pitcher Katie Pifer pitched three complete-game shutouts in Florida.

The College of Wooster softball team may have just missed its goal of finishing .500 on its two week trip to Florida, but the Fighting Scots have a lot to look forward to as they make the trek north back to Ohio to begin local competition. Wooster capped off the 16-game trip with a record of 7-8-1, including a 5-3 mark during its second stretch of games.

After going 4-5-1 through the first seven days of the trip, the Scots won three of their next four to move above .500 for the first time (7-6-1) this season. Wooster dropped a 10-3 decision to a hard-hitting squad from Southern Connecticut State University on March 19, but then rebounded with a 2-0 victory over Plymouth State University as freshman Katie Pifer picked up her third shutout of the spring. Senior Kelly Robinson provided the big hit in that contest, connecting on her first career home run, a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth inning.

First-year Alli Hall notched her first career win against Franklin Pierce College, an NCAA Div. II institution, on March 21. Hall allowed just two earned runs on five hits in the contest, while the Scot bats came alive in the sixth inning with four runs. Pifer retired three of the four hitters she faced in the seventh to get the save.

Wooster went on to a five-inning, 11-2 win over Mount Mercy College later that day as Pifer allowed just three hits and one earned run. Robinson was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two singles, one double, and three RBI, while sophomore Molly Gaffney was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and four RBI.

The Scots dropped a pair of one-run games on the final day of their trip on March 23. First, a seventh-inning rally came up just short for Wooster in a 2-1 loss to Carleton College. Carleton’s pitchers held the Scot sluggers to just four hits in the game, while striking out 10. In game two, the Black and Gold fell 13-12 in a high scoring affair with Bowdoin College. Wooster was on top 12-10 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but some costly miscues allowed the Polar Bears to pull out the win.

Offensively, the Scots batted .301 as a team over the two weeks, paced by junior Maria Gonzalez’s mark of .426. Gonzalez, batting third in the lineup, led the squad in hits (23), RBI (18), total bases (38), and slugging percentage (.706), and tied for the lead in both triples (3) and home runs (2).

Kelly Robinson hit at a clip of .452 over her last 10 games, including the first two home runs of her career.

Molly Gaffney was solid at shortstop for Wooster, committing just two errors in 71 chances.

The left side of Wooster’s infield proved to be a force throughout the trip, both on the field and at the plate. Gaffney and Robinson, playing shortstop and third base, respectively, committed just four errors combined in 128 fielding opportunities, and none over the final 14 games. On the offensive side of things, Gaffney finished with the second-highest batting average on the team at .388 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI, while Robinson finished at .340 with three triples, two home runs, and 11 RBI. Over her last 10 games, Robinson hit a blistering .452 (14-for-31) with a slugging percentage of .806.

Two other Scots return north with .300-plus averages, including sophomore transfer Katelynn Caywood at .326. Caywood has also crossed the plate 11 times and driven in seven. Senior Angie Triplett is the other .300 hitter with a mark of .303 and has plated eight RBI this spring.

Question marks abounded about Wooster’s pitching staff prior to the start of the season, but those have been safely put to bed. Pifer and Hall were solid all trip long on the mound, allowing just six opponents to manage 10 or more hits. Pifer posted a record of 6-3 with an ERA of 1.64, while Hall was 1-5 overall with an ERA of 3.90. The Scot hurlers struck out 42 combined in 104.2 innings, and held the opposition to a .296 batting average.