Softball's Two-Win Opening Day Features Program-Best and Thrilling Walk-Off

CLERMONT, Fla. – Opening day for the Wentworth Institute of Technology softball team (2-0) featured two unforgettable performances, resulting in a 5-0 blowout over Bluffton (0-2) and a thrilling come-from-behind victory against Heidelberg (0-2) by a 6-5 final score that required extra innings.

In the Leopards' season-opening win over the Beavers, sophomore Julie Schriver (Moscow, Pa.) set a new program-high with her 15 strikeouts in one outing.

GAME ONE: WENTWORTH 5, BLUFFTON 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth got on the board with two runners on base in the first inning as a groundout by junior Katie Kranz (Bedford, Mass.) sent a runner to third and brought home graduate student Kaitlin Pettenger (Budd Lake, N.J.), giving the Black & Gold an early 1-0 edge.
• With two runners on base in the fourth, a single by freshman Brianna Miller (West Haven, Conn.) ran home a score by junior Jess Rowe (Yardley, Pa.), extending the lead to 2-0 before a single by junior Katelin Howe (Bow, N.H.) brought home another score by sophomore Julie Schriver (Moscow, Pa.).
• The Leopards added to their three-run lead in the final inning as a groundout by Schriver brought home Kranz. Later, another single by Miller brought home Rowe, pushing Wentworth's lead to 5-0.
• Miller (2-4, 2 RBI) paced the Leopards' offense in her collegiate debut while Schriver only surrendered one hit and struck out a program-record 15 batters in the triumph.

GAME TWO: WENTWORTH 6, HEIDELBERG 5 (FINAL – 9 INNINGS)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Heidelberg took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame as a single by sophomore Ellie Tressler (Pickerington, Ohio) drove home a run. The two teams stayed scoreless until the fifth inning when a single by senior Emma Dean (Pickerington, Ohio) combined with an error drove home two runs to mark a 3-0 advantage.
• The Leopards dwindled the deficit in the fifth inning as a single by freshman Kelsey Medalia (Tacoma, Wash.) brought home a run by Miller. However, the Knights responded in the sixth inning as a double by junior Jade Torres (Bucyrus, Ohio) brought home a score to mark a 4-1 lead.
• Wentworth's offense lit a spark in the seventh inning, starting with a single by Kranz with two runners on base that brought home Pettenger. The next two batters, Rowe and Howe, both singled and brought home runners as well, knotting the score at four aside.
• The two teams battled it out in the eighth inning before a double by Dean in the ninth inning drove home a run, giving the Knights a 5-4 edge. Schriver retired the next two batters before the Leopards returned to the plate.
• With runners on first and second, a double by Kranz in the ninth led to a score by Medalia, tying the score at five aside. On the next at-bat, Rowe sent a single of her own through the infield, bringing home a game-winning score by sophomore Kyla Igawa (Long Beach, Calif.), giving Wentworth a 6-5 walk-off win.
• Kranz (3-5, 2 RBI) and Rowe (2-5, 2 RBI) paved the way for the Leopards' comeback while Rowe struck out four in the circle before Schriver added another three strikeouts in relief.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth is a perfect 2-0 against Heidelberg, first meeting last season.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards play Elizabethtown and Husson tomorrow back in Clermont.
  
  

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