A consistent offense and elite pitching had propelled the Washington University softball team’s 20-4 start and top-10 national ranking six weeks into the season. However, neither were on display this week as the Bears were swept 5-1 and 4-0 in a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader against Illinois Wesleyan University.
In the first game of the afternoon, senior ace Annie Pitkin took the hill and held the Titans to one hit through the first three innings. Illinois Wesleyan broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth with a two run home run to left field.
The Titans then put the game out of reach in the top of the fifth. After a single, a walk and a pair of steals put runners on second and third with two outs, Illinois Wesleyan’s three-hole hitter launched a chest-high fastball over the left field wall.
The Bears would cut the deficit to 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth after senior first baseman Brooke Hofer grounded a single through the middle to score freshman shortstop Taylor Arends from second. That would be all the offense the Bears could muster as they would go down in order to secure the loss. With five earned runs in seven innings, Pitkins ERA rose from 1.39 to 1.68. This was also Pitkin’s third game this season where she has surrendered multiple home runs in a game.
In the second game of the double header, the Bears offense looked even more anemic. With sophomore Maggie Clapp on the mound, the Red and Green mustered a season low three hits. The Bears best offensive opportunity of the second game came with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Down 1-0 to the Titans, they loaded the bases without recording a hit; however, Arends struck out and Hofer flew out to left to halt the rally.
With the Bears still trailing 1-0 heading into the top of the seventh, the Titans took advantage of an error-extended inning to strike for three more runs, two coming on a home run to right field. Clapp finished the game with just one earned run in seven innings, striking out five, but could not pick up a Bears defense that committed five errors in the game. This included three by Arends, who had committed just four errors all season up to that point.
Next up, the Bears travel to Oskaloosa, Iowa for a pair of Saturday games against No. 18 Central College as well as games against Buena Vista University and the University of Dubuque on Sunday.
