Wright State’s softball team was seeing the ball well at the WSU Softball field as they collected 14 runs on 19 hits while run ruling Green Bay 14-6 in game one of a double-header on Saturday, March 26.
Junior Becka Peterson drove in seven runs with two homeruns, a double and a single while a five other Raiders also drove in runs.
“It’s always good to put up that many runs as a team,” Peterson said. “I think as a team we did a good job moving runners and stuff like that. It definitely takes all nine of us.”
Wright State (14-13; Horizon 2-0) led 8-6 headed into the bottom of the fifth inning and powered a two-out rally to score five runs and gain a 13-6 advantage before closing the game out with a run-rule in the sixth.
In the bottom of the first inning junior Vivi Marquez hit a one-out double to left field, then Peterson stepped up to the plate and blasted a two-run homerun for her second of the season.
With one out in the top of the second, freshman Jenna Smarzinski tied the game at two with her first homerun of the season after junior Katelyn Huemmer walked on four straight pitches to lead-off the inning.
After back-to-back walks led off the inning for WSU, K. Pfeffer laid a bunt down the first base line and a throwing error by the first baseman led to a Raiders run. On the next pitch, sophomore Ashton Salyers hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put Wright State up 5-2, then Peterson collected her third RBI of the game with a double to left center. WSU led 6-2 after the second inning.
With two outs in the top of the third, Huemmer hit a homerun to left center to cut the deficit to three; 6-3.
The Raiders got the run back in the bottom half of the inning as junior Kate Pfeffer singled to score her sister Libby Pfeffer. The two-out rally continued as Marquez protected the plate with two strikes and drove in Pfeffer on a single. WSU left the bases loaded in the inning, but led 8-3 headed into the fourth.
Smarzinski led off the fourth inning with her second homer of the game to cut the Raiders lead to 8-4. On a 3-2 count, junior Allie Taylor singled and drove in two runs after a throwing error by WSU; 8-6.
With two outs and two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth, Peterson smashed her second homer of the game on a 1-1 count to give WSU an 11-6 lead. Hanna Floyd reached on an error on the next pitch and scored during a single by Gunther. After a single by Russell, both Gunther and Russell scored on a single by L. Pfeffer to expand the lead to 13-6.
Peterson knocked in the game-ending run after hitting a single with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.
“Before the game my coach told me to back off the plate and I think that was the thing that clicked with me and helped me see the ball better,” Peterson said.
Wright State and Green Bay (9-21; Horizon 0-2) will play the last game of a three-game series at the WSU Softball field at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.
