Baseball team runs winning streak to 12
The baseball team went 4-1 last week, stretching its winning streak to 12 games before falling to Coe College on March 26.
The Bears (16-4) opened the week with a 3-2 win against Greenville College on March 21. With the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the ninth, WUSTL executed a suicide squeeze to perfection to plate the game-winning run.
The Bears then swept Coe, 8-5 and 10-9, on March 25, improving to 7-0 in one-run games.
On March 26, WUSTL opened the doubleheader with a 13-6 win. Junior Jim Haley went 2 for 3 with four runs, while classmate Ryan Corning went 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs.
The Bears managed just three hits in the nightcap en route to their first loss since March 11.
Softball team has perfect 4-0 week
The No. 9 softball team improved to 21-1 with a 4-0 record. The Bears opened with victories over MacMurray College (11-1) and Illinois Wesleyan University (5-3) in the Fifth Annual Midwest Regional Invitational on March 25 at WUSTL Field.
In Game 1, the Bears pounded out 12 hits and capitalized on six MacMurray errors to post the 11-1 victory. Senior Victoria Ramsey improved to 7-0 as she pitched seven innings, allowing four hits. Ramsey also struck out eight batters and is now the school’s all-time leader with 255 career strikeouts.
Washington U. took the lead for good against Illinois Wesleyan in the bottom half of the third by scoring three runs.
Sophomore Laurel Sagartz improved to 8-1 on the mound.
Liz Swary went 5 for 7 with five RBI to lead the Bears past No. 22 Wartburg College (8-3) and Centre College (5-2) on March 26. Swary has now hit safely in 22 straight games, which is the second-longest hitting streak in school history.
In Game 2, sophomore Abby Morgan picked up her fourth win of the year, pitching five innings and allowing one run on two hits.
Strong showings in outdoor Mini Meet
The men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their outdoor season March 25 by hosting the WUSTL Mini Meet.
Though no team scores were kept, WUSTL turned in a number of strong individual performances.
Senior Hallie Hutchens made the switch from basketball to track, winning the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles in her first action of the year. Hutchens provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 hurdles (15.01) and clocked a 1:08.58 in the 400 hurdles.
Junior David Skiba took third place in the 110 hurdles on the men’s side, recording a time of 15.60. He also won the 400 hurdles (54.34). Freshman Morgen Leonard-Fleckman recorded an NCAA “B” cut in the pole vault, clearing 3.35 meters (11-0).
Sophomore Kevin Gale placed first in the 3,000 steeplechase.
Basketball, softball players receive honors
Senior guard Kelly Manning garnered NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/Kodak first-team All-America accolades, as announced jointly by the WBCA and Eastman Kodak Co.
Manning, a first-team all-Central Region honoree by D3Hoops.com, led the Bears in scoring average (15.4), blocked shots (43), free-throw percentage (.871), 3-pointers (58), field goals (141) and minutes per game (27.8).
Manning, who has one year of athletic eligibility remaining, is the seventh WUSTL women’s basketball player to be named to the All-America Team.
The seven student-athletes have combined for 11 All-America citations, including seven first-team nods.
Sophomore Jamie Kressel of the softball team has been named to the United States Maccabiah Softball Team, which will compete at the 17th World Maccabiah Games in July in Israel.
The softball team will be one of 27 United States sports teams competing at the Games which are among the world’s largest international and Olympic-style events, according to Jordan Weinstein, general chairman of the U.S. Maccabiah Committee.
Kressel has started all 18 games for the No. 9 Bears in 2005, hitting .268 with two home runs and eight RBIs. She helped lead the Bears to their second straight UAA championship last week by hitting .333.