Capital Conquers the Berg

With scores of 9-2 and 9-1, Capital University earned two victories at home against the Heidelberg College softball team. Heidelberg falls to 4-20 on the year, 2-8 in Ohio Athletic Conference competition. The Crusaders stand at 17-11 for the season, 7-3 in league play.

In both games Heidelberg plated a run in the top of the first inning, but could not keep the momentum going for the rest of the contest. In the first game, the Berg’s first run came when Coree Price (Prospect, Ohio / North Union) singled and then moved to second off a wild a pitch. Jerrica Sweetnich (Garfield Heights, Ohio / Garfield Heights) followed up in the batter’s box with a single that allowed Price to cross the plate. Heidelberg would not score again until the sixth, while in the mean time Capital platted five runs to build a solid lead. Dessiree Burtch (Prospect, Ohio / Elgin) was the second run of the game for the Berg. She drew a walk to make it on the bases and was driven home off a single by Katie Allenspach (Aurora, Ohio / Aurora). Though the Crusaders lead was cut to three it did not last long. Capital scored four more runs in the bottom of the sixth and held Heidelberg off in the seventh to take the game.

Allenspach took the loss on the mound for the Berg. During the contest she struck out three and walked one. Offensively, Price led the team by going 3-for-4 at the plate with one run.

During the top of the first in the second game, Price walked to start things off and then scored when Katie Curry (Delaware, Ohio / Buckeye Valley) hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield. Capital responded immediately with two two-run innings in the bottom of the first and second. The Crusaders scored one run in both the fourth and fifth innings as well. In the sixth, Heidelberg pitcher Nicole Bachman (Elkhart, Ind. / Elkhart Memorial) allowed one more run to cross home before Sweetnich was brought in as relief. In her first appearance on the mound ever for the Berg, Sweetnich got pinch hitter Lauren Hartfelder to ground to second base for the second out of the inning. A run was scored on the play, however, placing Capital up 8-1. The next batter also hit to second base, but reached on error and Capital was able to plate one more run to go up by eight and run rule the Berg for the game.

In 5.1 innings of work, Bachman struck out two and allowed five hits, while Sweetnich walked off the mound with a clean slate. Curry, along with Ashley Foust (Aurora, Ohio / Aurora) and Crystal Killoran (South Euclid, Ohio / Brush), led the Berg with one hit apiece at the plate.

Defensively for the team overall, Andrea Gerdeman (Ottawa, Ohio / Ottawa-Glandorf) recorded 11 put outs, while Price and Allenspach contributed five assists each.

Heidelberg hits the field next on Tuesday, April 15, in University Heights, Ohio where it will face off against John Carroll University in an OAC doubleheader set to begin at 3 p.m.