The Big Red ran their winning streak to five by racking up 21 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Case Western Reserve from the Denison Softball Field in Granville, Ohio. In game one, DU scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, resulting in a 9-1 win over the Spartans. In the second game, they pounded out 14 hits for a 12-4 victory.
The Big Red wasted little time jumping all over the visiting Spartans as they took command with a 6-0 lead through the first three innings of game one. In the first inning, senior catcher Brie Berkopec (Mars, Pa./Mars Senior) hit her 19th career home run over the wall in left-center field, scoring Erica Evans (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington). In the third inning, senior designated player Molly Sack (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview) singled through the right side of the infield to plate both Jessica Robertson (Mount Gilead, Ohio/Mount Gilead) and Alex Murray (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/NDCL).
The Spartans would get one run in the fourth inning off an Ianna Wasser home run but DU would respond with three runs off three hits in the fifth inning to lock up the victory. Sophomore second-baseman Lauren Lynn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) doubled to the gap in right-center field to put an early-end to the contest thanks to the eight-run rule.
Senior pitcher Leslie Brenner (Deerfield, Ohio/Deerfield) improved to 4-2 by allowing just one run off three hits. Case Western Reserve pitcher Beth Andrasik dropped to 7-14 with the loss after allowing six earned runs and 12 hits in 4.1 innings.
The Spartans started game two with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, but DU would answer in the bottom half of the inning thanks to doubles by Evans and Murray. Denison would take a 3-2 lead in the second before plating four more runs in the second inning. Murray did most of the damage in that inning as well, clearing the bases with a three-run double to the wall in center field.
Case would score two runs in the top of the fifth inning to keep the game going at 10-4 but one run in the fifth off a Berkopec RBI single, and one run in the sixth via an RBI single by Sack would stop the game an inning early at 12-4.
The winner in game two was freshman hurler Nikki McCoy (Ney, Ohio/Fairview). She improves to 2-0 on the season by allowing six hits and no earned runs while striking out four in her six innings of work. Andrasik took the loss for CWRU, allowing eight earned runs and 14 hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
On the day, Evans and Hannah Price (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) led the DU hit parade, going 4-for-6. Evans finished with two doubles and three RBIs while Price scored a pair of runs.
Denison will return to action on Tuesday (March 30) when they travel to Ada, Ohio for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader with Ohio Northern University. DU will return home on Thursday (April 1) against Washington & Jefferson at 3:30 p.m.
