FRIDAY LIVE STATS:
MSOE (9 AM) / NORTHWESTERN (11:30 AM)
CLERMONT, Fla. -- Timely hitting spurred the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology softball team to two wins Thursday down in the Sunshine State. The Fightin' Engineers used a big first inning and held on late to down Adrian College 4-3 in Game One of the day. Rose-Hulman scored three runs in the top of the second inning and scattered six Concordia hits to beat the Cobbers by a final score 6-0 in Game Two.
Rose-Hulman 4, Adrian 3 -
Rose-Hulman hung on and picked up a 4-3 win over the Adrian College Bulldogs in the first game of the day Thursday morning.
The Fightin' Engineers did most of their damage in the home half of the first inning, scoring three runs in the frame, all with two outs. Maddie Struble singled to right that scored Jenny Miller. After Morgan Dreyer reached on an error that kept the inning alive, Michelle Korf ripped a double to the left-center field gap that scored both Struble and Dreyer.
Adrian got a run back in their half of the fifth inning but in the seventh the Bulldogs pulled a little closer than the Fightin' Engineers would have preferred. Left fielder Janel Lake kicked the inning off by making an excellent diving catch down the line to record the first out of the frame. The Bulldogs got a runner on and then Chelsea Shellman hit an inside-the-park home run that drew AC within a run at 4-3. The Fightin' Engineers were able to get the final out to secure the 4-3 victory.
Michelle Korf had a good outing on the mound, scattering six hits in route to her third win of the season.
Rose-Hulman 6, Concordia 0 -
Timely hitting proved to be the theme throughout Day Four of Rose-Hulman's spring trip and remained consistent in Game Two of the day. The Fightin' Engineers struck for three runs in the top of the second inning, again all runs came with two outs. Janel Lake poked a single to right field that scored Maddie Struble. Bryly Shipman then followed up with a two-run double to deep left that put the Fightin' Engineers ahead 3-0.
Rose-Hulman added another run in the top of the fifth inning. Jenny Miller singled and then stole second. Miller has stolen 10 bases in eight games this spring. After Struble walked to put runners on first and second, Morgan Dreyer hit a sinking line drive that was knocked down by Concorida's second baseman but the ball squirted away just enough to allow Miller to score.
RHIT increased their advantage to 6-0 by scoring two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Jessica Will started the inning with a single to left. Miller then tripled to right-center that scored Will. Maddie Struble rounded out the Rose-Hulman scoring by hitting a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Miller from third.
Freshman pitcher Baylee Sparks was solid on the mound Thursday afternoon, scattering six hits in route to her second win of the season.
The wins improved RHIT's record to 5-3. The Fightin' Engineers will round out their spring trip tomorrow against Milwaukee School of Engineering at 9 a.m. and Northwestern (Minn.) at 11:30 a.m.
