Softball team wins two games at Gene Cusic Classic

Behind two complete game pitching performances by freshman Katie Harper (Vassar), the Olivet College softball team won two games this evening at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. In their first game, the Comets shutout Lesley (Mass.) University, 4-0, and in the nightcap, Olivet used some help from "mother nature" to beat Ohio Wesleyan University, 4-3, in eight innings.

Against Lesley, the Comets scored the only run that they would need in the third inning. Junior Katie Fleshner (Grand Blanc/Haslett) led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a single by junior Felicia Smith (Spring Lake) and scored on a single to rightfield by junior Anna Braner (Belmond, Iowa/Marshall). Olivet tacked on three unearned runs in the fifth inning.

Offensively, the Comets were led by sophomore Jenny Robbins (Fenton), who went 3-for-4 at the plate with three singles. Braner and Fleshner each had two hits in four trips to the plate. Harper struck out six and walked only one in her seven innings of work

Against Ohio Wesleyan, Olivet scored a run in the bottom half of the first inning when sophomore Kacey Darling (Hartford) ripped a single to score junior Heidi Wear (Hastings/Wayland Union), who had reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Comets took advantage of two errors to score another run in the third inning. Braner got to first base on a fielding error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She came around to score after a throw attempt to get her stealing third base sailed into the outfield.

The Battling Bishops answered with two runs, one earned, in the top half of the fourth. There was no scoring in the next three innings. With rain beginning to fall, Ohio Wesleyan scored a run in its half of the eighth inning.

To start the home half of the eighth, Darling was placed on second base. After a strikeout, junior Cassie Bowerman entered the game as a pinch hitter. She lifted a bloop hit into rightfield to move Darling to third. Now with the raining coming down harder and sophomore Christine Cameron (Elkhart, Ind./Concord) standing in the batter's box, the Ohio Wesleyan pitcher uncorked a wild pitch to score Darling. Bowerman was alert on the wild pitch and got to third base. On a 3-1 count, the pitcher unleashed another wild pitch to the backstop and Bowerman slid into home plate with the game-winning run.

Offensively, Wear finished the game with two hits. Other hits were by Braner, Cameron, Darling and freshman Courtney Praski (New Lothrop). In the circle, Harper allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits, while striking out two and walking two.

Olivet (2-4) will take tomorrow off and be back in action Wednesday when it plays the College of Wooster (Ohio) at 9 a.m., and Eastern Nazarene (Mass.) College at 11 a.m. Both games will be played at the Northwest Softball Complex in Cape Coral.