(Collegeville, Pa.) – The Dickinson softball team opened Centennial Conference play with a 16-0 rout of host Ursinus College on Sunday. The Bears bit back in the nightcap, posting a 7-6 win to earn the split.
Katie Swade (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) drew a lead-off walk to start the game. She moved to third and scored on a sacrifice fly from Grace Edelson (Basking Ridge, N.J./Villa Walsh).
First-year Nicole Torlincasi (King's Park, N.Y./King's Park) singled in the second and stole second to set up and RBI opportunity for Swade. Swade singled to stretch the lead to 2-0, and Stacie Maring (Woodbine, Md./South Carroll) drove in Jay Abell (Glenn Dale, Md./Elizabeth Seton) who reached after being hit by a pitch.
Edelson doubled to add two more runs and RBIs to her line. She drove in Maring and sophomore shortstop Casey Ditzler (Cleona, Pa./Annville Cleona) to stretch the margin to 5-0. Edelson came in to score on a single from Nicole Piet (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) before the Bears could close out the inning.
The Red Devils erupted with 10 runs in the sixth, pounding out seven hits. The Devils tallied a game's worth of stats in just the one inning. Edelson recorded two hits, driving in three runs while adding a stolen base and a run scored.
Abel had a pair of hits as well, scoring twice and driving in another run. Ditzler drew a pair of bases loaded walks to record two RBIs. Torlincasi drove in two runs with a single and Swade came across the plate twice.
Edelson went 3-for-3 with six RBIs and two runs scored. Maring added three hits while Swade tallied three runs scored and a pair of walks. Abel went 2-for-3 on the day, scoring three runs.
Senior Chelsea Homa (Newton, N.J./Newton) threw a complete game, scattering four hits and recording four strikeouts.
Ursinus came out strong in the nightcap, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Bears loaded the bases and scored on an RBI walk. Nikki Djambinov launched a grand slam to stretch the margin to 5-0.
The Red Devils battled back, pulling even in the third inning. The Devils scored three in the second as Abell doubled to score Torlincasi and put Dickinson on the board. Swade followed with a double to switch places with Abell, and then came in to score on a single by Maring.
Piet doubled in the third inning and came in to score on a two-RBI double from Megan O'Neill (Old Lyme, Conn./Old Lyme) to knot the game, 5-5.
A bases loaded walk gave the Bears a 6-5 advantage in the bottom of the fifth inning. Dickinson answered in the top of the sixth as Maring came in to score off the bat of Becca Garlinger (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro) after drawing a walk and moving to third in a Ditzler single.
Caitlin Whelan doubled to score Ellen Goldstein to regain the lead in the bottom of the sixth. That would be enough as the Bears held on in the top of the seventh to earn the split.
Abell went 2-for-3 with a double in the nightcap, scoring once and driving in a run. O'Neill added two RBIs while Maring and Ditzler each had a pair of hits.
Homa allowed seven hits and just two earned runs in game two. The Red Devils stand at 5-9 on the season and 1-1 in the Centennial Conference.
The Red Devils are scheduled to host McDaniel College on Tuesday night at 5:00 pm.
