PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - Pitching once again dominated the diamond for the Wilmington University softball team on Thursday, as Chelsea Botsch and Katie Warrington led the team to a 5-2 and 3-0 sweep over Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe University of the Sciences at McNeil Field.
Each pitcher went the distance for the Wildcats (18-14, 5-3 CACC), who won for the sixth time in a row and seventh in their last eight games overall to move above .500 in the conference for the first time this season. The University of the Sciences (12-12, 8-6 CACC) fell to .500 overall, being hurt by three errors and five unearned runs in the first game.
Wilmington got off to a hot start in the first game, jumping out to a 3-0 lead, scoring all three runs with two outs. With the bases loaded, Skye Boris singled into right field to score the first two runs of the game. Rachel Painter reached on a fielding error, the second of the inning, to allow the visitors to jump up 3-0 before the Devils even came to bat.
Jillian Stafford made it 4-0 in the top of the second, singling home Emily Nowell with another unearned run charged to Courtney Spina. The starter went all seven for the Devils, giving up five runs but with only one earned run.
The Devils split the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, but Botsch buckled down for the rest of the way to even her season record to 6-6. Cambria Ziemba gave the Wildcats its fifth and final run of the game in the sixth, hitting a single down the left field line, scoring Shelby Thompson from second.
Botsch struck out seven batters while only walking one, allowing two runs on six hits. The sophomore has now won each of her previous three appearances, lowering her earned run average to 2.77.
The bats didn't jump out as quickly in the second game, but Warrington was up to the task to keep the Devils down and allow the Wildcats to get on the board.
Warrington recorded the first six outs by strikeouts, needing the sixth one to get out of a first and second jam in the second inning.
After getting out of the inning unscathed, the Wildcats put the only run they would need on the board in the top of the third off Devil started Cassie Lapotsky. Ziemba started the inning with a leadoff walk, followed promptly by an infield single from Brook Ash. Both runners moved up 60 feet on a passed ball, allowing Christin Headley's single to left field to score Ziemba for the games' first run.
Warrington responded with a shutdown inning in the bottom of the third and recorded another strikeout in the fourth to bring the Wildcats back up to the plate in the fifth.
Once again Ziemba was the catalyst for the rally, leading off the inning with a walk. Ash singled through the left side to put two runners on once again. Headley squared and laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving the runners up a base before an errant throw by the first baseman allowed Ziemba to score for the 2-0 lead. Stafford followed with a single back up the middle, scoring Ash to give the Wildcats the 3-0 lead.
More than enough runs for Warrington on Thursday afternoon.
The senior pitcher finished with 12 strikeouts to record double digit punch outs for the eighth time this season. Warrington improved to 10-2 on the season, winning for the fourth straight game. She now carries a 1.11 earned run average.
The Wildcats remain on the road for one more doubleheader when they head to Bloomfield for another CACC matchup. The team will head to Bloomfield on Saturday for a pair of games with the first starting at 1:00 p.m.
