GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Sophomores
Liz Cowell (Verona, N.J./Mount Saint Dominic) and
Sarahrose Jonik (Glenmoore, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) and freshman
Shelby Baker (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) each belted home runs and junior
Morgan Clauser (Columbus, N.J./Northern Burlington) pitched 11 scoreless innings as Gettysburg College wrapped up the regular season with a sweep of Susquehanna University at Bobby Jones Field on Tuesday.
Gettysburg (21-13) heads into the Centennial Conference playoffs having won 18 of its last 22 games. The Bullets took the opening game against Suquehanna (26-14) 5-1 as Cowell and Jonik both cleared the left-field fence. Baker hit a solo shot to right-center to cap a 3-0 victory in the nightcap.
The opening game was scoreless until Cowell stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the second and planted her first career home run outside the left-field fence. Susquehanna answered with a longball of its own as Kasey Bost smacked a ball off the scoreboard above the fence in left.
The heart of the Bullets' order took care of business in the bottom of the second inning. Baker drew a walk and junior
Meredith Taylor (Hamilton, N.J./Northern Burlington) hit a ball through the left side. Senior
Wendy Folfas (Westminster, Md./McDonogh School) found open space behind second base to plate Baker with the go-ahead run.
Jonik provided the rest of the offense by blasting her team-leading third homer of the spring with two runners on base in the fourth inning. The four-run lead was more than enough for Clauser, who relieved senior
Aileen Reilly (Huntington Station, N.Y./St. Anthony's) after three innings. Clauser allowed just one hit and struck out three to pick up the game one victory.
Seven Bullets recorded a hit in the game with Taylor adding a pair of walks as well.
Clauser was nearly unhittable in the nightcap, allowing just two base hits, while striking out a career-high tying 10 in her second shutout of the season. She struck out seven of the first 10 batters she faced, including five consecutive from the first to second innings. Clauser closed the game by retiring the final 12 batters.
Gettysburg revved up the offense in the fourth inning. Sophomore
Taylor Doi (Foster City, Calif./San Mateo) led off the frame with a double to left-center and came home to score on a single by Folfas. Folfas came around to score on a hit to right field by Cowell to make it 2-0.
Baker provided the final blow by stroking her first collegiate home run past the fence in right-center to lead off the sixth inning.
Clauser improved to 11-4 on the year with the two decisions. Doi and Folfas each went 2-for-3 in game two.
Gettysburg hosts the CC Championship this weekend (May 4-6). The Bullets face Washington College Friday at 2 p.m., while McDaniel College plays Haverford College in the day's second game. Gettysburg is hosting the event for the first time in 13 seasons and is seeking its first conference title since 2007.