The Case Western Reserve University softball Spartans, ranked No. 6 in the UAA, went into their series against Washington University in St. Louis looking to continue their win streak of 15 games after a full sweep against Emory University.
In Game 1, CWRU hit the ground running with fourth-year Stevie Rieger hitting a two-out double, allowing first-year Karen Potts to score a run and put the Spartans on the board. A single from second-year Elizabeth Berry then brought Rieger home, putting the Spartans at a 2-0 lead. The game then remained scoreless on both sides until the sixth inning when Rieger scored another run from a groundout by Berry shortly after hitting her second double of the game. This was Rieger’s third two-double game of the season and her fourth overall. The Bears only scored once in the seventh inning, giving CWRU a 3-1 victory over WashU.
Most notably, third-year pitcher Lexi Miskey threw a total of six scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts and only 3 hits, improving to 14-2 this season and tying a program record with former Spartan Annie Wennerberg by earning her 53rd career win as a Spartan.
The victory over the Bears allowed the Spartans to improve to 24-2 overall record for the season and a 9-0 record in the UAA. The 16-game winning streak was also the second-longest in program history, only four wins behind last season’s 20-game winning streak.
Looking to extend the win streak, the Spartans got on the board first again in the second inning of Game 2 with a 2-0 lead. Berry hit a single to center field to start off the second inning, and due to an error made by the Bears after a bunt from third-year Isabella Russo, both runners were brought home from a double hit by first-year Alaina Steffes. This was also Steffes’ tenth double of the season.
CWRU’s lead over the Bears, however, was cut short after two scoreless innings when WashU scored 5 runs in the fifth inning, taking a 5-2 lead. The Spartans were unable to come back from this, and the 5-2 score became final, putting an end to the program’s win streak. This was also third-year pitcher Kylie Hosey’s first loss of the season, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in four and one-third innings, making her record 10-1.
The Bears got on the board first in Game 3 after scoring in the first inning on a single, followed by a single and a triple in the third inning to take on a 3-0 lead over the Spartans. However, in the span of seven innings CWRU was only able to get 2 hits from Berry and Steffes—which became her 11th double of the season—in addition to two walks. Additionally, second-year pitcher Devanghi Misra took the loss, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in two innings, bringing her record down to 0-1. Miskey gave up 2 runs in three innings, and fourth-year pitcher Jenna Jaklich pitched a perfect sixth. The final score of the game was 3-0, and it was the first offensive shutout for the Spartans since May of 2022 when the team lost 1-0 to Trine University in the NCAA Super Regional.
Though the Spartans went into the finale of the series looking for a split, WashU got on the board first in the third inning followed by another run in the bottom of the fourth, giving the Bears a 3-0 lead. After remaining scoreless on both sides for one inning, CWRU attempted to respond in the sixth inning after a single from Rieger allowed first-year Nylah Durham to score a run. The possibility of a comeback was short-lived, as the Spartans were unable to score any more runs, making the final score 3-1. Moreover, Miskey took the loss, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in three and two-third innings, totaling her record to 14-3. Miskey also struck out five batters to increase her career total to 494 strikeouts.
Overall, the Spartans lost their four-game series 1-3 against WashU, falling to 24-5 in the overall season and 9-3 in UAA games. With eight conference games left in the season, both CWRU and WashU are tied in league standings.
The Spartans will be looking to kickstart a new winning streak for the season in their four-game series against the Brandeis University Judges in Waltham, Massachusetts this weekend from April 19-21.