NAPLES, Fla. – The Wilmington College softball team improved to 4-2 on the season with a pair of wins Wednesday, defeating Edgewood College 3-0 and Salem State University 9-6.
Grace Shell earned her second complete game victory of the week, tallying eight strikeouts while scattering three hits and walking only two batters. An Edgewood base runner reached third base just twice in the game.
The Fightin’ Quakers scored in the second inning when Alecia Kemp, who led off the inning with a single, advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Kaylee Barber and a groundout from KenDahl Bowles. Kemp came home on a passed ball, sliding under the tag of the Edgewood catcher.
Wilmington got the lead-off runner on again in the third when Savannah Hooper singled. A walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases, and Micalah Hensley and Allison Pierce both delivered RBI singles.
The Eagles may have stopped the Quakers from scoring any more runs in the third, but Edgewood could not solve Shell, as the freshman allowed a single baserunner in the fourth and set down the opposition in order in the fifth and sixth innings.
Still leading 3-0, Shell pitched around an error in the top of the seventh and stranded runners at second and third with a strikeout to preserve the shutout.
“Grace Shell did a great job keeping the Edgewood hitters off balance,” WC coach Beth Floyd said.
Wilmington had nine hits as a team including two from Savannah Hooper, Hensley and Kemp. Jillia Cook, Pierce and Sawyer Hooper also had base hits.
The teams combined for 12 hits, all singles.
In game two, Salem State tagged Wilmington starting pitcher Beth Periscano with an earned run in each of the first three innings. The Quakers battled back, however, on an RBI double from Mariyah Burkhardt, an RBI single from Cook and a passed ball. Periscano sat down the Vikings in order in the bottom of the fourth to keep the game tied 3-3.
In the fifth, WC had a two-out rally with Kemp pushing the go-ahead run home when she was hit by a pitch. Burkhardt then had a two-run double and Kemp came home on a wild pitch, 7-3.
Wilmington scored two more runs in the sixth to take a 9-3 edge, but the Vikings scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh to make it 9-6.
Salem State outhit Wilmington 12-8, but the Quakers drew seven walks. Periscano did not issue a walk in her complete game victory. The senior improved to 2-2 with the victory, allowing five earned runs and striking out six.
Burkhardt finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs while Savannah Hooper ad two hits and scored two runs. Cook was 1-for-2 with two RBIs while Kemp had a hit in her only at-bat, drew two walks and scored three runs.
“Alecia Kemp is the type of player that can make things happen, and she’s off to a great start to her collegiate career,” Floyd said. “Micalah Hensley is doing a great job at the plate and is really seeing the ball well.”
