Washington Knocks Off UCSB, Notre Dame For Two-Win Day

The No. 9 University of Washington softball team swept the first day of the Mary Nutter Classic on Friday (Feb. 19) in Cathedral City, Calif. The Huskies defeated Santa Barbara, 7-0, and Notre Dame, 5-4, to start the 2016 season with an unblemished 7-0 mark.

Sophomore Madi Schreyer earned her second shutout of the season in the opener. She allowed just four hits with three walks to pick up her third win of 2016. The Huskies got eight hits from eight different batters and seniors Kimberlee Souza and Dani Braun led the way with three and two RBI, respectively.

Freshman Taran Alvelo fanned nine Notre Dame batters in the second game of the double dip, including three straight strikeouts with a runner at third in the top of the second. She allowed three earned runs with seven hits to pick up her third win of the year. Seniors led the way again offensively as Courtney Gano and Souza each tallied a pair of RBI.

The Purple and Gold took advantage of early walks to quickly put up a trio of runs in the first. Junior Ali Aguilar drew a walk and one out later, Gano walked. After a fielder’s choice put junior Casey Stangel on first and Aguilar at third, sophomore Julia DePonte drew another walk to load the bases. Souza then delivered a three-RBI single, which proved to be the Huskies' only runs until the sixth frame.

Washington scored four more in the sixth. Freshman Tannon Snow’s single scored a speedy Kelly Burdick who reached on an error. Aguilar then delivered an RBI double and pinch hitter Braun roped a single, scoring two more.

Santa Barbara put runners on in six of the seven innings, but Schreyer and the defense held them at bay, highlighted by a pair of turned 4-6-3 double plays by sophomore Taylor Van Zee, junior Ali Aguilar and Gano.
Notre Dame used a single and an error to plate a run in the first in the nightcap. The Huskies answered with five runs in the first and second. In the first, Aguilar singled, Gano walked and DePonte's sac advanced the runners. Stangel then drew a bases loaded walk and Souza’s hit to second base scored a pair to give the Huskies the lead, 2-1.

The Dawgs plated three more in the second. With one out, McNeill reached on an infield single and after sophomore Trysten Melhart reached on a fielder’s choice, Aguilar was hit-by-pitch to put runners at first and second. Gano then roped a two-RBI double into right-center to give the Huskies a 5-1 lead.

Notre Dame got one back in the top of the third, hitting a two-out solo home run and made things interesting in the sixth, trimming the deficit to just one run after opening the frame with a single before hitting their second home run of the game.

With the Huskies leading 5-4 in the seventh, Alvelo recorded three straight strikeouts to end the game and improve Washington’s record to 7-0.

The Dawgs play again tomorrow at noon against Texas A&M followed by Central Michigan at 2:30 p.m.