Reach Conference Playoffs For The First Time Since 2005

SWARTHMORE, PA – Visiting Washington College took both ends of a Centennial Conference softball doubleheader against host Swarthmore College on Tuesday afternoon at Clothier Field to clinch a spot in the 2011 Centennial Conference Softball Tournament.  The Shorewomen captured game one by a 6-2 score and held off a furious Garnet rally to win game two by a 9-8 score.  Washington is now 20-16 overall and 11-5 in the conference, while the Garnet drop to 6-22 and 2-12 respectively.  WC closes out the conference slate with 11 wins, the most since winning 12 games in 1997.

With the wins, Washington secures a spot in the playoffs for just the second time and the first time since 2005.  The conference softball tournament will take place April 30-May 1 at the highest seed. 

In the first game, Washington scored the game's opening run when freshman Lauren Dockrill (San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic) scored on a wild pitch to put the Shorewomen up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. 

Swarthmore tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the third when Jesslyn Lammerts scored on a one out double by Kate Smayda. 

The Shorewomen scored three times in the top of the fourth with two outs to take a 4-1 lead.  Sophomore Lindsey Glascock (Glenwood, MD/Glenelg) and junior Sally Snover (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) scored on an error by the Garnet to grab a 3-1 lead and sophomore Shaelan Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) singled home senior Becca Nicely (Baltimore, MD/Institute of Notre Dame) to give WC a three-run lead.  In the last of the fourth, Smayda scored on a wild pitch to trim the Washington lead to 4-2.

The Shorewomen scored once in the top of the sixth when Carbutt scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Nicely to make it 5-2.  In the top of the seventh, Shaelan Nottingham crossed home plate on a run-scoring groundout by Glascock to push the lead to 6-2 to provide the final margin.

For the Shorewomen, Carbutt went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Shaelan Nottingham was 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.  In the circle, junior pitcher Jill Piasecki (Galena, MD/Kent County) got the win and is now 4-3 on the year.  She went five innings and gave up just two earned runs and three hits.  She gave way to junior Meaghan Kimme (Lumberton, NJ/Holy Cross) who allowed two hits over the final two innings to record her third save of the season. 

Lammerts took the loss for Swarthmore and falls to 0-4.  She tossed the first five innings, allowing four runs, but none of them were earned.  The Garnet allowed just one earned run in the game and nine hits.

In game two, the Shorewomen came out strong with a six-run top of the first.  Freshman Kylie Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) plated Glascock on an RBI single for the first run of the nightcap.  Carbutt made it 2-0 when she scored on a passed ball.  Sophomore Brittany Walter (Forest Hill, MD/C. Milton Wright) singled up the middle to deliver Kylie Nottingham and Snover to make it 4-0.  Shaelan Nottingham closed out the scoring in the frame on a two-run double down the left field line to chase home Nicely and Walter.

In the top of the third, Shaelan Nottingham scored on a sacrifice fly to left off the bat of Glascock to make it 7-0.  Carbutt doubled to right to allow Dockrill to dent the dish and make it 8-0 and Carbutt would come around to score on a fielding error to complete the three run third and give Washington a 9-0 cushion.

The Garnet, down to their final three outs due to the eight-run rule in the bottom of the fifth scored six times.  Lammerts scored on a fielding error and Nicole Aaron drew a bases loaded walk to score Kira Kern to cut it to 9-2.  Rose Pitkin singled to left field to score Krista Scheirer to trim it to 9-3.  Elizabeth Cushing walked with the bases loaded to plate Smayda and it was a 9-4 WC lead.  The next hitter, Marley Spector singled to third base to score Aaron to cut it to 9-5.  Pitkin scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 9-6 and with runners on second and third, the tying run was at the plate.  But Kimme got Lammerts and Erin Curtis to both pop up to end the frame. 

Swarthmore cut the lead to 9-7 in the bottom of the sixth when Aaron doubled to left-center and scored Kern.  Pitkin scored Zoe Hendrickson on a ground out to reduce the once nine-run lead to one-run at 9-8.  With Aaron on third base as the tying run, Kimme got Cushing to pop out to Snover at third base to end the inning.

After retiring Washington in order in the top of the seventh, Swarthmore entered the last of the seventh down one run.  But Kimme retired the Garnet in order with Curtis grounding out to Glascock for the final out to allow the Shorewomen to hold on for the win and secure a spot in the conference tournament.

For Washington, Walter got the win and is now 8-8 on the year.  She pitched the first 4 1/3 innings before giving way to Kimme for the final 2 2/3 innings.  Carbutt and Kylie Nottingham each had two hits with Carbutt scoring twice.  Shaelan Nottingham and Walter each drove in a pair of teammates in the win.

For Swarthmore, Aaron was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI in the second game, while Pitkin drove in two and Kern scored twice.  In the circle, Sarina Lowe got the loss and drops to 1-6.  She lasted just 1/3 of an inning.

Each team had nine hits and three errors in game two.

This season in Centennial play, the Shorewomen were 8-1 in conference contests that were settled by two runs or less, including a perfect 5-0 in one-run conference games.

Washington travels to in-state rival Stevenson on Friday for a non-conference softball twin bill.  First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.