Archived Edition: April 18, 2007 | Back to Current	Sep 10, 2010

Offense powers softball in tripleheader
Kevin Waite - Editor-in-Chief

The snow lining the outside of the outfield fence and the generally wintry conditions could do little to put softball’s offensive firepower on ice. This Saturday, the women (11-12, 4-3 in the NESCAC) hit seven homeruns to edge-out conference rival Middlebury in a chilly tripleheader, taking the series 2-1. On Wednesday they split a pair against Smith, with a 1-0 loss in the first and a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.

The bats were slow to come to life in Game 1 against the Panthers this Saturday. Middlebury pitcher Jennifer Williams scattered four hits over seven innings to clinch a 2-1 win. Morgan Simpson ’09, who fanned seven over six innings and also surrendered just four hits, got the loss.

Williams drew first blood when Katie Powers ’08 smacked the first of her three homeruns of the day, a solo shot in the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth, Middlebury’s Susan Miranowski answered with a two-run shot to put the Panthers up 2-1. The slim cushion was all Middlebury would need to seal the first of the day’s games.

The pitcher’s duel in the first game gave way to a veritable slugfest in the second. In an offensive tug-of-war, the Ephs used 14 hits to take Game 2, 13-9.

“Because the Middlebury is a good hitting team, we had the extra pressure to keep scoring even when we were already ahead,” Katelyn Knox ’07 said. “I think our tough mental attitude was crucial for us.”

After a Katie Blankshain ’10 homer put the Ephs on top 3-0, Pitcher Margaret Ryan ’08 was driven out of the game after surrendering five runs in the second. The Panthers knocked two two-run homers to take a 5-3 lead.

Three Williams runs in the third and two more in the fourth gave the Ephs an advantage once again. Powers drilled a two-run shot to help put the women up 8-5. But Middlebury plated three more in the bottom of the fourth to bring the game even.

In the sixth, the Ephs tallied five more runs to put them in the driver’s seat for good. Emily Fowler-Cornfeld ’09, who had come in to pitch relief, helped her own cause, doubling to initiate a one-out rally. Powers singled her in to give Williams a 9-8 lead. After Middlebury’s seventh error of the game allowed another run to score, Powers hit a three-run blast to deep left to widen the gap, 13-8.

Fowler-Cornfeld earned the win after 5 2/3 innings of work in relief. She gave up four runs and struck out four in the contest.

In Game 3, the Ephs came out of the gates slowly, but built on momentum in the later innings to carry away a convincing 11-4 victory. Both Powers and Simpson went 4-5 at the plate, collecting one and four RBIs, respectively.

The Panthers jumped to a 2-1 lead in the first. They held on to a one-run advantage, taking a 3-2 lead into the fifth.

But then the Williams power came to life. Fowler-Cornfeld led off with a solo homerun to tie the game. Two batters later Simpson lifted a two-run shot over the center field fence to put the women up, 5-3.

“The difference between the first game and the two wins is that we were producing runs,” Fowler-Cornfeld said. “One of our goals for the season is that any runner that reaches second or third base with less that two outs must score. In the two wins we were stringing the hits together and scoring the runners that got on base.”

The Ephs followed their breakout fifth inning with a six-run sixth. Simpson, Taryn Goodman ’08 and Mary Gelber ’10 all collected RBIs.

Simpson did it all in the win. In addition to her four-RBI campaign at the plate, she threw a complete game, her second of the day. In seven innings of work, she struck-out six and allowed three earned runs to pick up the win.

“We hit well this weekend and played tough defense,” Regine Lim ’07 said. “Everyone was focused and playing hard. It was exciting to see us last through three games in one day.”

On Wednesday Williams split a doubleheader with Smith, taking the second game 4-2 after a 1-0 loss in the first.

Smith’s Emily Hiltzik had the women’s number in Game 1, tossing a seven-hit shutout for the win. Ryan got the tough loss after allowing only one run over seven innings.

The teams were locked in a 2-2 tie going into the sixth inning in the nightcap. Then, Joey Lye ’09 led off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. She scored what would be the winning run when Fowler-Cornfeld laid a bunt down the first base line and Lye slid under the tag at the plate. Fowler-Cornfeld crossed the plate herself on an error to give herself some insurance on the mound. Her seven innings of two-run pitching earned her the win.

Williams plays at Keene State tonight in a doubleheader. On Friday and Saturday the women are schedule to host Hamilton in a three-game series, but the location may change due to weather conditions.