ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Muhlenberg rallied from a two-run deficit to eliminate Washington, 5-4, Tuesday, April 29 in the play-in game of the Centennial Conference softball tournament.
With two outs in the last of the sixth inning, freshman Abigail Kim scored what held up as the winning run on Scooter Hulsen’s extra-base hit into the right-center field gap. Kim reached on a one-out double to deep center field.
Justine Bergara retired the Shore ladies in order in the top of the seventh on a line drive out to right field, a groundout and a strikeout.
Bergara (9-9) came on in relief of Morgan Bobroeski in the second, and tossed the remaining 5 2/3 innings. She allowed only one run on three hits and one walk while striking out four batters.
Hulsen and Kaitlyn Buurman singled back-to-back to open the home half of the first inning, and both went on to score to give the No. 4-seeded Mules a 2-0 lead.
No. 5 seed Washington (12-25) pushed three runs across in the top of the second. Julia Weglarz (2-for-3) doubled to left-center to plate two runs and scored the go-ahead run on Jenna Harper’s base hit up the middle.
The Shore ladies extended the spread to 4-2 in the third on Lilly Cook’s two-out triple to left-center that chased home Gracelyn Goforth, who was hit by a pitch with one away.
The Mules deadlocked at 4-all after scoring single runs — both unearned — in the third and fourth innings.
Emmie Meeks (3-10), in relief of starter Gen Kozub, suffered the loss; Meeks’ line included two runs on six hits over three innings.
Muhlenberg outhit Washington, 12-5.
Kim, who came into the game with one hit all season, went 2-for-2 with a line drive single to center to lead off the fourth inning and the double in the sixth.
Hulsen, Buurman and Skyla Campisi also contributed two hits apiece for the Mules.
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Muhlenberg (21-20) exited the double-elimination tournament on Saturday, May 3 after a 2-1 loss to No. 3 seed Ursinus.
No. 1 seed Swarthmore scored four runs in the last of the seventh to overtake Muhlenberg, 6-5, Thursday in a second-round game.