Cooper Strikes Out 13 Batters In WC Debut

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Freshman pitcher Kristin Cooper (Georgetown, DE/Sussex Central) struck out 13 Randolph batters in her collegiate debut as Washington College topped Randolph, 9-5, in the second game of the first day of the Beach Blast Tournament this evening at Princess Anne Athletic Complex in non-conference softball action.  In the Shorewomen's first game of the day at the tournament, Washington dropped a 7-4 decision to Rutgers-Newark.  The Shorewomen are now 1-1 on the season.

Cooper struck out the side in the bottom of the second and fourth innings and fanned at least one Randolph (6-2) batter in every inning, but the last of the third.  Cooper allowed eight hits and five earned runs, while walking three.  She is the first WC softball player to strike out 10 or more batters in a game since Diane Green '06 punched out 11 Davis & Elkins' batters on March 11, 2004.

In the second game versus Randolph, the WildCats put a three spot in the bottom of the first when Gina Pagano slammed a three-run home run to left field with outs to put Randolph up 3-0. 

The Shorewomen responded with one in the top of the second inning when Anderson scored through the left side to score junior Shaelan Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) to cut the Randolph lead to 3-1.

Randolph plated two runs in the last of the third to grab a 5-1 lead.  Brittany Willingham sent home Lauren Stevenson on a single to center to make it 4-1 and she came around to score on a double off the bat of Ashley Gardner to push the lead to 5-1.

Washington scored five times and sent 10 batters up in the fourth to turn a 5-1 deficit into a 6-5 lead.  Senior Sally Snover (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) scored on a bunt off the bat of Anderson to cut it to 5-2 and junior Brittany Walter (Forest Hill, MD/C. Milton Wright) crossed the plate on a wild pitch to trim the WildCats bulge to 5-3 with no outs and led to a pitching change for Randolph.   The Shorewomen scored the next three times with one out.  Freshman Christine Anderson (Palmer Lake, CO/Lewis-Palmer) trimmed the lead to 5-4 when she scored on a throwing miscue by Randolph and junior Lindsey Glascock (Glenwood, MD/Glenelg) touched the dish on a fielder's choice to level the game at 5-5.  Sophomore Kylie Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) gave Washington its first lead of the game when she scored on an infield single by freshman Suzanne Patinella (Fallston, MD/Maryvale Prep) to put the Shorewomen up 6-5. 

In the top of the fifth, the Shorewomen scored three two-out run to increase the lead to 9-5.  Sophomore Lauren Dockrill (San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic) scored all the way from first on a Glascock double to make it 7-5.  Glascock came around to score on a single up the middle by Kylie Nottingham to increase the lead to 8-5 and Kylie Nottingham gave WC a four-run lead when she reached home on a passed ball.

For Washington in the second contest, Kylie Nottingham went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Anderson went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.  Patinella had two hits, while Glascock scored a pair of runs.  Washington had 14 hits in the win.

For the WildCats, Willingham went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Stevenson pounded out a couple of hits in four at-bats.  Pagano drove in three runs for Randolph.  In the circle, Brittany Via picked up the loss in relief.  She went 1 2/3 innings and gave up five runs, four earned, while giving up six hits.

Against Rutgers-Newark (1-1) in game one, the Scarlet Raiders scored a run in the top of the first inning when Kelsey Lucas was thrown out at second base on a steal attempt, but Victoria Sovak was able to score from third base on the same play to put Rutgers-Newark up 1-0.  Rutgers-Newark made it 2-0 in the top of the second Caroline Lane scored on a single down the right field line by Sovak with two outs.

Shaelan Nottingham socked a two-run home run to centerfield to plate her sister, sophomore Kylie Nottingham with two away in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 2-2.

Rutgers-Newark scored once in the third to regain the lead at 3-2 when Monica Liotto scored on a fielding error by Washington.  In the top of the fourth, the Scarlet Raiders took advantage of three errors to score three times and grab a 6-2 lead.  Liotto chased home Sovak on a single up the middle to make it 4-2.  Lucas scored on a throwing error by the Shorewomen to make it 5-2 and Liotto scored on an RBI groundout by AJ Affholter to close out the scoring the top of the fourth.

The Shorewomen got one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Patinella singled down the left field line to score Kylie Nottingham to make it 6-3.

Rutgers-Newark restored the four run lead when Affholter singled up the middle with two away to score Liotto and make it 7-3 in the top of the sixth.  In the bottom of the sixth Shaelan Nottingham drove in Kylie Nottingham on a single through the left side to trim the Scarlet Raiders' lead to 7-4. 

In the last of the seventh, the Shorewomen had the tying run at the plate with two outs, but Kylie Nottingham flew out to center for the final out.

For the Scarlet Raiders, Sovak was 4-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored and an RBI.  Liotto was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Affholter drove in a pair of runs.  Rutgers-Newark had nine hits in the win.  In the circle, Brianna Alicchio got the win as she went the distance.  She scattered eight hits, allowed four runs which were all earned, walked two and struck out four.

For the Shorewomen, Shaelan Nottingham was 2-for-3 with three RBI, a run scored and a home run, while Kylie Nottingham was 2-for-3 with three runs scored.  Anderson went 2-for-4 in her collegiate debut.  Pitching wise, senior pitcher Jill Piasecki (Galena, MD/Kent County) took the loss and drops to 0-1.  She allowed three runs in two-plus innings, none of the runs were earned.  The Shorewomen allowed just one earned run in the game as the defense committed seven errors in the loss. 

Washington is slated to play Kean and Rowan tomorrow in Virginia Beach tomorrow at noon and 4:00 p.m. respectively in the second day of the Beach Blast Tournament.