On March 21 and 22, the No. 8-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team took on No. 25-ranked Washington University in St. Louis in their first round of UAA play. The Spartans played three games, falling short in two of the three.
Coming off a spring break road trip through California, the Spartans played eight games against six different opponents, finishing the week with a 4-4 record. They opened the trip with a thrilling 5-4 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before narrowly dropping the second game of the doubleheader 4-5. CWRU also picked up wins over Bethel University (6-3), Haverford (12-5) and Whittier (3-1). The Spartans came up short against ninth-ranked Redlands University in both matchups (6-8, 2-10) and fell to Illinois Wesleyan 2-4.
Despite the mixed results on the West Coast, CWRU made a national statement earlier in the season. In their opening stretch, the Spartans defeated four top-six ranked teams: No. 1 East Texas Baptist (6-5), No. 2 Linfield (2-1), No. 5 Belhaven (15-13) and No. 6 Tufts (6-4). These high-profile victories catapulted CWRU into the national conversation and solidified them as a team to watch this season.
In the first inning of the Spartans’ conference opener fourth-year pitcher Lexi Miskey navigated early trouble. With one out and the bases loaded following 2 singles and a walk, Miskey responded with back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam and keep the game at 0-0.
CWRU capitalized in the top of the second, as fourth-year catcher Katelyn Lamm drove in third-year infielder Elizabeth Berry with a double to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
WashU answered quickly in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 2-1 lead on a two-run homer. After CWRU stranded runners in scoring position in both the third and fourth innings, the Bears struck again with an RBI double, extending the lead to 3-1.
The Spartans narrowed the gap but were unable to complete the comeback, ultimately falling 3-2 in their first conference loss of the season.
The Spartans came out ready on Saturday, eager to bounce back against the Bears. After WashU left two runners in scoring position in the second inning, CWRU took advantage in the third. Second-year infielder Karen Potts doubled with one out and was brought home by a clutch two-out single from graduate student infielder KaiLi Gross, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
Miskey kept the momentum going, retiring eight straight batters to keep WashU off the bases until the fifth inning.
CWRU added crucial insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Second-year outfielder Alaina Steffes sparked the rally with a pinch-hit single, followed by a walk from Potts. With 2 outs, Gross came through again with an RBI single, and Russo followed with a two-run double to extend the lead to 4-0.
Though the Bears mounted a late rally, the Spartans held on for a 4-1 victory, securing their first UAA win of the 2025 season.
The Spartans wrapped up their weekend with a hard-fought 3-2 loss to WashU in the series finale. Both teams were scoreless through the first three innings, and CWRU’s best early chance was erased by a rare unassisted triple play in the fourth. WashU capitalized in the bottom half with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
CWRU responded in the fifth, scoring two unearned runs on a wild pitch after a single by first-year outfielder Kate Coonan, an error, and a walk loaded the bases. The Spartans held the 2-1 edge until the seventh, when the Bears tied it on a groundout and sealed the win with a walk-off sacrifice fly.
Miskey went the distance, allowing 3 runs on 9 hits. The Spartans tallied 4 hits and 4 walks, with Potts drawing 2 free passes.
Weekend highlights for the Spartans included snapping a four-game losing streak against WashU with Saturday’s win. Gross continued her hot streak, recording her fourth game with at least three hits this season and her 10th multi-hit performance of 2025. Potts extended her on-base streak to 13 straight games and has reached safely in 16 of the team’s 17 contests. She also leads the Spartans with 13 walks, six more than any other player on the roster.
The Spartans will take a break from conference play this weekend, hosting a pair of Ohio opponents at Mather Park for two non-conference doubleheaders. They’ll kick off the stretch with two games against Capital University on Thursday, March 27, beginning at 3 p.m. CWRU will return to UAA action the following weekend, traveling to face Emory University on April 4 and 5 in Atlanta.