Scots Have Three Doubleheaders Scheduled Against OAC Competition

Natalie Worcester

Off to its best start in program history via a 9-5 record during the spring break trip, The College of Wooster begins the northern portion of its schedule with three non-league doubleheaders this week. All three twin bills will be against competition from the Ohio Athletic Conference, starting with a visit to Marietta College (8-4) on Tuesday, March 25, at 3:30 p.m. Last season, Marietta swept the Fighting Scots, 11-0 by run-rule and 8-0, en route to earning a spot in the NCAA Div. III Tournament. Wooster will then make its home debut Thursday, March 27, against fellow northeast Ohio foe John Carroll University (2-8), which hasn’t played since March 1, at 3:30 p.m. The teams split their annual match-up last spring, with the Blue Streaks taking the opener 5-3 and the Scots the nightcap 7-6. Also, there’s an addition to the original schedule for this week, as Baldwin-Wallace College (6-6) will visit Wooster Sunday, March 30, at 1 p.m. It will mark the squads’ first meeting since the 2003 campaign, when the Scots swept the Yellow Jackets 3-2 and 6-5 (8).

Spring Break Recap: At its annual spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., Wooster rebounded from a 1-3 start to win six-straight games and eight of its next 10 to move to 9-5 overall on the young season.

After canceling their first two games due to travel delays, the Scots took their season opener by an 8-5 count over Drew University. Wooster came up empty in its next three games, suffering close losses to New Jersey City University (2-4), Olivet College (3-6), and Elms College (2-3).

The Scots rebounded, though, rattling off that six-game winning streak, with five of those coming via a one-run margin, including two in extra innings – versus Skidmore College (7-6) and Curry College (3-2) on March 13. Two days later, Wooster posted back-to-back shutout victories over St. Lawrence University (1-0) and Eastern Nazarene College (5-0), behind the pitching of sophomore Andrea Kelley (Westerville, Ohio / Westerville South) and junior Katie Pifer (Meadville, Pa. / Meadville), respectively. Kelley scattered four hits and five walks to St. Lawrence while striking out four, and Pifer struck out six without a walk during her six-hit shutout.

Then, the Scots used some late-inning heroics to get by Lasell College and Illinois College by respective scores of 4-3 and 6-5. Tied 3-3 in the sixth against Lasell, Natalie Worcester (Wellington, Ohio / Wellington) singled in Lauren Sargi (Lyndhurst, Ohio / Charles F. Brush) for what turned out to be the game-winning run. Wooster found itself trailing Illinois College 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh before scoring three times, capped by an RBI single off the bat of Kelley.

The Scots split the final four games of their Florida trip, defeating Worcester State College 9-1 and Roger Williams University 3-1 and losing close decisions to SUNY New Paltz (4-0) and SUNY Brockport (2-0).

Offensively, Wooster has been led by Worcester, as the newcomer to the program has posted a .438 batting average (14-for-32), including two doubles, two triples, and one home run. Junior Kim Skully (Brooklyn Hts., Ohio / Cuyahoga Heights) isn’t far behind with a .421 average (16-for-38) with three doubles, one home run, and a team-leading 10 RBI and eight walks. Senior Kate Kiley (Dedham, Mass. / Noble and Greenough School) has started her final season strong, hitting at a .351 clip (13-for-37), to go along with seven runs scored, four RBI, and she’s tied for a team-high six stolen bases with Skully.

The pitching staff more than held its own through the first two weeks, producing a combined 1.60 ERA. Kelley is 5-1 overall with a 1.59 ERA and 35 strikeouts, covering 44 frames of work, while Pifer has turned in a 3-4 record, 1.75 ERA, and 19 strikeouts over 36 innings pitched.