Thursday, April 2, 2009
Game 1 - Wayne State 5 #9 Winona State 0
Game 2 - Wayne State 3 #9 Winona State 0
The Wayne State College softball team notched a pair of shutout wins at #9 Winona State Thursday afternoon in Northern Sun Conference play in Winona, Minnesota as the Wildcats swept the Warriors 5-0 and 3-0. Wayne State is now 19-11 overall and 4-0 in the NSIC while Winona State slips to 22-7 overall and 2-2 in league play.
In the first game, Wayne State used a two-run homer by Amy Sandstrom and a three run homer from Blaire Kuhl to offset 15 strikeouts by Winona State pitcher Stacey Struzynski to pick up the 5-0 win. The second game saw WSC strike for two runs in the first inning and add an insurance run in the seventh to complete the sweep with a 3-0 win.
The first game was scoreless until the fourth inning when Katie Goetzinger singled and scored on Amy Sandstrom’s two-out, two-run homer to center field for a 2-0 lead. The ‘Cats added three runs in the seventh when Goetzigner singled, Kiley Peterson reached on an error by Winona State’s catcher and both scored on Blaire Kuhl’s two-out homer to center field.
Goetzinger (14-7) pitched a complete game, seven-hit shutout to earn the win for WSC. She struck out six and walked just two in the win. Offensively, she was also 2 for 3 at the plate with a run scored.
Blaire Kuhl was the hitting star for the Wildcats in the first game, going 3 for 4 with three RBI’s and one run scored followed by Goetzinger’s two hits and Sandstrom with her two-run homer.
The second game saw WSC strike for two early runs while Amber Baird and Goetzinger teamed up on a four-hit shutout to lead the Wildcats to a 3-0 win. In the first inning, Sandstrom led off the game with a single and later scored on Sam Earleywine’s RBI double. Earleywine then scored on Jennifer Radley’s run-scoring single for a 2-0 advantage.
The score remained 2-0 until the seventh inning when Goetzinger doubled to right center with pinch runner Liz Hullinger scoring on Sandstrom’s RBI single to second base scoring Hullinger for a 3-0 lead. That’s all the support Baird and Goetzinger would need pitching as the two shut down Winona State to secure the 3-0 win.
Baird (5-4) allowed just four hits and no runs over five innings while Goetzinger notched the save working the final two innings, allowing no hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Wayne State had eight hits in the game to four for Winona State. Radley was 2 for 2 with an RBI while Sandstrom finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and run scored. Earleywine and Goetzinger each doubled while Brittany Greenwood and Blaire Kuhl both had singles.
Wayne State will be at home on Saturday hosting Augustana College in a Northern Sun Conference doubleheader starting at noon.