HANOVER, Ind. – The Capital University softball team opened up their season with a split at Hanover College on Saturday afternoon. The Comets won game one in five innings 11-2 before dropping the second game 11-4.
The Comets are now 1-1 and Hanover is now 3-10.
GAME ONE: Capital wins 11-2 (5 innings)
Capital slugged out 13 hits in the first game with six different players putting the ball in play. Big outings came from
Lexie Leggett and freshmen
Megan Mlinaric and
Kyleigh Kirby. Leggett went a perfect 4-for-4 and knocked in four RBIs and scored all four times she reached base. Mlinaric was 3-of-4 and collected three RBIs. Kirby ended 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
Capital spread out their scoring, putting up two runs in the first, three in the second, two in the fourth and four in the fifth to get the job done in run-rule fashion.
The Comets did benefit from five Hanover errors which yielded four unearned runs.
The icing on the cake came from Leggett as she pounded out a three-run home run in the top of the fifth to score
Kelcie Schnitzler and
Emma Gant.
Brianna Shearer took the pitching rubber and twirled a complete game over five innings. She allowed five hits and two runs, but struckout four batters.
GAME TWO: Hanover wins 11-4
The Comets once again had a solid outing at the plate in game two, collecting 11 hits, but those base knocks came more sparingly, thus returning just four runs, while the Panthers scored 11 times on 15 hits.
Like game one, the losing team committed five fielding errors to lead to numerous unearned runs – this time five to be exact.
Capital's scoring plays came from four different batters as
Reese King,
Hannah St. Clair Reagan Irons and
Alyssa Zolman picked up RBI hits. The RBIs for King, Irons, and Zolman's RBIs were the first of their Capital careers.
Jessica Workman toed the rubber, throwing her first career game. She was hit with the loss after allowing five hits and five runs.
Krislyn Bayles ate up four innings in relief, allowing six runs (one earned) on eight hits.
Megan Mlinaric tossed her first career inning on the pitching rubber, allowing just two hits.
THE NUMBERS
First career hits came from
Autumn Bridges,
Reese King,
Reagan Irons,
Chandler Young,
Alyssa Zolman,
Megan Mlinaric,
Kyleigh Kirby.
Lexie Leggett's home run was the 13th of her career. She is now tied with Amy Orahood (2000-03) for the seventh most home runs in a career.
Brianna Shearer's win was the 16th of her career and she now boasts a 2.56 career ERA which is the ninth lowest in program history.
UP NEXT
The Comets will stay on the road for their next competition, traveling to Bethany College on Sunday, March 19th. That doubleheader is scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m.
