CHESTERTOWN, Md.  – The Gettysburg College softball team made a triumphant return to the diamond following a two-week lay-off with a pair of victories over Washington College in its Centennial Conference opener Saturday.
 
Gettysburg (5-9, 2-0 CC) won the opening game 5-1 behind a seven-strikeout performance by senior Aileen Reilly (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's). The bats did the early damage with five runs in the first inning on the way to an 11-2 win in game two.
 
Gettysburg's last outing came on March 17 and the team had barely seen field time since due to the weather. The Bullets shook off the rust to seize the early lead in the first game, taking advantage of three walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a hit to bring across a pair of runs. Washington (8-14, 1-3 CC) came back in the bottom of the inning with one run.
 
Gettysburg added to the lead with an RBI single by senior Wendy Folfas (Westminster, Md./McDonogh School) in the second inning. After a run-scoring double by senior Stephanie Leonardo (East Haddam, Conn./Choate Rosemary) in the sixth made it 4-1, the Shorewomen threated in the home half of the frame. Washington put the first two batters in scoring position, but a fielder's choice at home took out the lead runner and Reilly picked up a strikeout and groundout to shortstop to close the inning.
 
The visitors picked up an unearned run in their final at bat and Reilly slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
 
Reilly allowed five hits and walked two over seven innings. Gettysburg reached base 10 times on walks and hit-by-pitches with sophomore Liz Cowell (Verona, N.J./Mount Saint Dominic) drawing three free passes.
 
Eleven Bullets went to the plate in the first inning of game two with five runs scoring on five hits. Junior Meredith Taylor (Hamilton, N.J./Northern Burlington) plated the first run with a single and sophomore Rachel Julie (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) added an RBI single to right field. Two additional runs scored on an error and the final tally came via a fielder's choice by sophomore Taylor Doi (Foster City, Calif./San Mateo).
 
After Washington scored one run in its first at bat, Taylor led off the second inning with a solo home run to left field. Cowell added a sacrifice fly in the inning to make it 7-1.
 
Julie was a hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning and Folfas added an RBI single later in the frame. Gettysburg's final run crossed on a single by Taylor in the fourth inning.
 
Taylor finished 3-for-3 with a walk, three runs, and three RBI. Blasius finished 2-for-4 with two runs, while Folfas went 2-for-3. Freshman Shelby Baker (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North), who drew two walks in the opening game, walked twice more with a single and three runs in game two.
 
Junior Morgan Clauser (Columbus, N.J./Northern Burlington) earned the win after allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts over five innings.
 
Gettysburg visits McDaniel College on Tuesday at 3 p.m.