KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Ursinus softball team completed their third straight sweep in their Florida Spring Break Trip by besting Westminster (PA) and Loras on Tuesday afternoon at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex. The Bears held on for a 6-5 win over the Titans before earning a 4-3 win over Loras.
With the wins, the Bears improved to 6-3 overall behind their sixth straight win down in the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, the Titans fell to 3-3 overall and the Duhawks to 4-5.
Ursinus 6, Westminster 5
The Bears jumped right on the Titans from the start in the top of the first by scoring three runs on three hits to go up 3-0. Senior
Samantha Mallen singled with a bunt to leadoff and immediately swiped second base. Mallen added another stolen base and first-year
Anna Evanchik did the same after drawing a walk. First-year
Reagan Robinson brought them both in with a single and came around two batters later after a double from senior
Stephanie Wichman and a sacrifice fly from senior
Rachel Hartman. A pair of walks in the top of the second paved the way for junior
Kayla Carr to crush a three run home run to centerfield to put Ursinus up 6-0. It was the first home run for the Bears since Wichman hit one on April 25th, 2023, against Haverford. The Titans broke onto the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to make it 6-2 with back-to-back singles after getting runners on second and third base.
Ursinus stranded the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the fourth inning and the Titans capitalized in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to get within 6-5. A two-run single with one out initially got Westminster within a run before a wild pitch added the third run. Westminster seemed poised to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff double and wild pitch put a runner on third base with no outs. However, following a walk, the Titans lined into a double play to get the runner at first before a fly out ended the threat. Ursinus left the bases loaded again in the top of the seventh, but first-year pitcher
Lucy Wolf worked around a hit by pitch to lead off the bottom of the inning to preserve the win behind a pair of strikeouts.
Ursinus 4, Loras 3
After escaping a first and third jam with two outs in the top of the first, Mallen reached base after the Duhawks first baseman dropped the throw. Mallen swiped a pair of bases before Robinson knocked through a two-out single from the left side to put the Bears up 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Robinson and Wichman reached to start and an errant throw on a bunt attempt from senior
Rachel Hartman scored Robinson to make it 2-0. Sophomore
Miranda McIlvaine followed with a single to score Wichman and extended the Ursinus lead to 3-0. The Duhawks got a run back in the top of the fifth on a single and error, but the Bears were able to escape the inning after a pair of Loras runners fell running between second and third base. Ursinus got the run back in the bottom of the fifth when Carr singled to score Mallen, who had already picked up a single and stolen base. Loras took advantage of a pair of errors from the Bears to cut the lead down to 4-3 in the top of the sixth. Wichman entered for Ursinus starter
Christa Andrusiewicz and forced a foul out with runners on second and third base with two outs. Wichman worked around a one-out single in the top of the seventh to finish off the win and get the save.
Carr combined to go 3 for 5 from the plate with four RBI's and her home run. Mallen picked up three hits and three runs scored along with swiping five bases between the two games. Robinson tallied two hits and three RBI's on Tuesday and Wichman went 2 for 4 in game one from the plate. McIlvaine went 2 for 3 in game two with an RBI and a double while earning the win in game one in the circle. Andrusiwicz allowed three runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings of work to get the win in game two.
The Bears return to action tomorrow, March 12th as they will continue their trip against Skidmore at 12:15 and UMass Dartmouth at 2:45 p.m.
