Scot Softball Wins Four of Final Six
on Spring Trip

Kady Krivos

The second half of The College of Wooster softball team's spring break trip was a success, as Wooster won four of its final seven games and heads home from Orlando, Fla., with a 6-8 overall record - a dramatic improvement over last spring trip's 1-6 mark.

After taking just two of its first seven (as previously reported), the Scots earned a doubleheader split with the College of St. Rose on March 15. St. Rose's Carla Sidore hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie and spoil an otherwise well-pitched game by Wooster sophomore Angie Barone. She went all 8.0 innings, gave up just five hits, and struck out en route to her first loss, while the Scots' offense left a total of 10 runners on base which turned out to be the difference in the game.

After falling behind 1-0 in the nightcap, Wooster came back with two runs in the third and added an insurance tally in the seventh to defeat St. Rose 3-1. Three Scots combined for 10 of the team's 12 hits, as senior Kady Krivos went 4-for-4, sophomore Kirsten Lucas was 3-for-4 with an RBI double, and freshman Nicole Fedell stroked three hits, including a pair of run-scoring singles. Fedell also was on the mound and pitched her best game to date, allowing one unearned run on just three hits and four walks.

The highlight of Wooster's trip came two days later (March 17). Down 7-4 with two outs and nobody on in the top of the seventh during the first of two against Virginia Intermont College, the Scots put together a string of seven consecutive singles and scored four runs, ending with an RBI base knock from sophomore Brianne Diorio. Then, Barone stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the frame to preserve the 8-7 win.

Barone stayed on the mound and pitched Wooster to a 2-0 victory in the nightcap, giving the Scots their first sweep of the young season. She walked six, but only gave up one hit and struck out eight in the shutout, while the lone offense came via unearned runs in the third and fourth innings that Wooster took advantage of.

A strong MidAmerica Nazarene University squad (9-6) swept the Scots on Tuesday (March 19), taking the first 3-0 and the second 9-2. The Lady Pioneers' Rebecca Nordyke held Wooster to just five hits in the opener, while Barone gave up one run in the second and two unearned tallies in the sixth. The Scots took an early 2-0 lead in game two on a Kerri Horst RBI single and on a passed ball that plated a run. However, MidAmerica Nazarene exploded for five in the fifth, including a three-run blast from Aburi Olson, and added two more in both the sixth and seventh innings. Fedell got the loss, but four of the seven runs that were scored against her were unearned.

On Wednesday (March 20), Wooster completed its trip with a single-game 6-3 victory versus Washington & Jefferson College. The Scots crossed the plate twice in the first frame, one of which came via a double off the bat of Fedell, but Washington & Jefferson answered with three runs in the second, all of which were of the unearned variety off of Barone, to take the lead. Wooster tied it back up in the bottom of the third and took the lead for good on an RBI single off the bat of freshman Kate Henley, who was fresh off an All-American performance at the NCAA Swimming Championships.

Next, the Scots have a road doubleheader scheduled against John Carroll University on Thursday (March 28) at 3 p.m. Last year, Wooster swept John Carroll 13-10 and 4-2.