Scots Drop Final Two Games of 2008 to No. 13 Muskingum

Kim Skully

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster softball team saw its season come to a close Tuesday afternoon as visiting Muskingum College, ranked No. 13 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll in NCAA Div. III, swept the Fighting Scots by scores of 2-0 and 4-0 in Wooster, Ohio.

Wooster sophomore Andrea Kelley held Muskingum (33-7), which came into the game batting .332 as a team, in check for most of the opener. The Wooster hurler surrendered just six singles to the Muskies.

Muskingum managed the only runs it would need in the second and third innings. The Muskies scored in the second inning via a wild pitch, and in the third on an RBI groundout.

After Muskingum starter Amy Mattin (23-3) gave up a leadoff single to Courtney Joliat in the first inning, she set down nine Wooster batters in a row. Sophomore Priscilla Staples snapped that streak with a leadoff single up the middle to start the fourth. In the fifth, Wooster picked up its third hit of the contest on a one-out double to left-center field from sophomore Natalie Worcester. However, Mattin worked out of jams in both the sixth and seventh innings for the victory.

The Muskies jumped out to a quick lead on Wooster in the nightcap, plating two runs on three hits in the first. The visitors tacked on single runs in both the fourth and seventh innings to sweep the doubleheader. Wooster (17-21) managed three hits in the nightcap – a one-out double to left-center by Kim Skully in the first, a two-out single in the second by sophomore Ashley Wells, and another one-bagger by Staples with one out in the third.

Kelley took the tough loss in the opener to end the season at 7-7. She notched her team-leading 11 complete game of the spring and 27th of her two-year career, giving up two runs on six hits, walking five and striking out one. Junior Katie Pifer (5-9) was tagged with the loss in the second game, working four innings surrendering three runs on seven hits, and recording two strikeouts. Freshman Ronni Wasmuth pitched the final three frames for Wooster, giving up one run on three hits and two walks.

Heather Martin tallied the victory in the circle for Muskingum in the nightcap, and improved her record to 10-2.  She allowed three hits while striking out seven and walking two.

With her base knock in the second game, Skully recorded her 42nd base hit of the spring, tying her for second all-time in Wooster softball history. She also finishes the season with a .389 batting average, the third highest in program history, while also ending up in the top-three with 59 total bases (third), three homeruns (tied for third), and an on-base percentage of .455 (third).

Mallory Hay finished the day 5-for-7 for Muskingum, including 3-for-4 in the second game, with an RBI and a run scored, while Kari Hoying went 3-for-7 with a run scored.