Game 1 - Wayne State 5 Concordia-St. Paul 0
Game 2 - Wayne State 4 Concordia-St. Paul 1
The Wayne State College softball team swept Concordia-St. Paul in a regionally ranked Northern Sun Conference doubleheader at the Pete Chapman Softball Complex Sunday afternoon with the Wildcats prevailing 5-0 and 4-1. WSC, ranked eighth in the NCAA Division II Central Region, improved to 23-12 on the season and 11-3 in the NSIC with the two wins while Concordia-St. Paul, ranked fifth in the Central Region, falls to 23-13 overall and 6-6 in league play.
The first game saw senior All-American pitcher Katie Goetzinger throw her eighth shutout of the season, a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts, to boost the Wildcats in a 5-0 win over the Golden Bears. WSC opened the scoring in the second inning with one run while not recording a hit as Rachel Dukich reached on a fielder's choice and came around to score on a wild pitch for a 1-0 WSC lead. The Wildcats took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning when Blaire Kuhl singled up the middle scoring Sam Earleywine and Dani Sandel. WSC added two more runs in the sixth inning as pinch hitter Natalie Reuchel homered to left center field scoring Kuhl, who had walked, making the final score 5-0.
WSC had five hits in the game to just two for Concordia-St. Paul. Reuchel's pinch-hit homer was the lone extra base hit in the game. Sandel, Sam Earleywine, Kuhl and Brittany Greenwood each singled to round out Wayne State's five hits. Goetzinger (16-6) pitched a complete game two hit shutout, striking out 10 without issuing a walk, to record the win.
The second game saw senior first baseman Jennifer Radley go 2 for 3 at the plate with a two-run homer and double to lift the Wildcats in a 4-1 win, completing a sweep of the Golden Bears. Aeriell Earleywine led off the game with a single to shortstop and came around to score on Radley's two-run blast over the left center field fence for a 2-0 Wildcat advantage. Concordia-St. Paul scored its lone run of the day on a Sami Mattson solo homer in the fourth inning to make the score 2-1. WSC scored two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Greenwood singled through the left side scoring Blaire Kuhl and Heather Cook to make the score 4-1.
Wayne State had one more hit than Concordia-St. Paul, 5-4. Radley finished 2 for 3 with a two-run homer and double and two RBI's while Aeriell Earleywine was 2 for 3 with a pair of singles. The other hit was Greenwood's two-run single in the sixth. Freshman starter Jordan Harris (4-1) worked five strong innings to get the win with relief help from Goetzinger. Harris allowed three hits and one run with four strikeouts and no walks while Goetzinger shut down the Golden Bears over the final two innings to record her fourth save of the season, striking out four batters over the final two innings while allowing just one hit.
Wayne State will be at home again Monday afternoon hosting St. Cloud State in a Northern Sun Conference doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Pete Chapman Softball Complex.
