Crucial Week on Tap for Scots With Four NCAC Twinbills Slated

Molly Gaffney

With Mother Nature finally showing signs of promising weather, The College of Wooster softball team hopes to get back on track this week after competing in only one doubleheader each of the last two weeks. On Wednesday, April 18, a busy stretch of North Coast Athletic Conference action for the Fighting Scots will begin when last-place Oberlin College (1-17, 0-6 NCAC) pays a visit for a 3:30 p.m. twinbill. Wooster has dominated the series between the two squads, winning the past 12 meetings and holding a 14-2 overall advantage. Last year, the Scots won 13-4 and 11-1. Wooster is slated to host rival Wittenberg University (18-10, 3-3 NCAC) the very next day, Thursday, April 19, also at 3:30 p.m., in a match-up that has been postponed three times. Wittenberg, which produced the best non-league record of any NCAC team, is ahead 11-7 in the series with the Scots and run-ruled them 15-9 and 9-1 last season. After a brief one-day rest, Wooster will get back into competition and continue its homestand Saturday, April 21, against nemesis Kenyon College (10-12, 3-3 NCAC) at 1 p.m. The series between the two is tight, with the Ladies owning a slight 8-6 edge, however, they’ve won five-straight and eliminated Wooster from postseason contention in both 2003 and 2004. Last spring, Kenyon shutout the Scots 8-0 and 12-0. Wooster ends the week with a pair of contests Sunday, April 22, at the NCAC’s preseason favorite and defending champion, Denison University (15-11, 3-1 NCAC), beginning at 1 p.m. The Big Red are 12-5 all-time against the Scots, sweeping the twinbill in 2006 9-4 and 7-4.

    Last Week: Wooster managed to squeeze one contest in around the poor weather last week, dropping both ends of a doubleheader to slip to 8-16 overall, including 1-3 in the NCAC.
    On April 13, home-standing Allegheny College toppled the Scots 9-1 and 11-5. In the opener, Wooster evened the score 1-1 in the top of the second when Molly Gaffney (Tallmadge, Ohio / Archbishop Hoban) roped a two-out triple to right-center, scoring Maria Gonzalez (Millersburg, Ohio / West Holmes), who had walked. But it was all Gators after that, plating two in the third and breaking loose in the fourth with five runs on five hits and two Scot errors. Wooster produced only three hits in the contest, with Gaffney collecting two of them. Taking the loss on the mound was Katie Pifer (Meadville, Pa. / Meadville), who suffered some bad luck as only three of the nine runs were earned in 4.2 innings. In the nightcap, the Scots took a 1-0 lead when Priscilla Staples (Stoughton, Mass. / Fontbonne Academy) blasted her first collegiate home run in the first inning. During the bottom of the second, though, Allegheny exploded for six runs to take command. Wooster gained some ground, scoring twice in both the third and fourth to make it a two-run game (7-5), however, the Gators would pull away late, scoring a run in the fifth and three in the sixth. The Scots’ bats were paced by Katelynn Caywood (Amherst, Ohio / Firelands), Kim Skully (Brooklyn Hts., Ohio / Cuyahoga Heights), and Eva Lyon (Gallipolis, Ohio / Gallia Academy), who were all 2-for-3 in game two. In the circle for Wooster was Andrea Kelley (Westerville, Ohio / Westerville South) and she struck out nine during the loss.