CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - Seattle U softball (6-6) took it to a RV Northwestern (5-6) team in its second game of the Redhawks' opening day at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, downing the Wildcats for the first time in program history 3-2 after falling to Fresno State (6-5) 6-2 in the mid-afternoon rematch in Cathedral City, Calif.
Senior Nicola Simpson secured her third eight strikeout game of the season, facing 31 batters and pitching all 7.0 innings. The Seattle native locked up her third win of the year holding a 0.97 ERA on the day, allowing six hits and two runs, of which only one was earned. She paced all SU pitchers on the day.
Sophomore Berkley Vance held a 2.10 ERA against Fresno State, coming in for 3.1 innings after fellow sophomore Avari Morris collected the start and pitched 3.2 innings. Vance faced 13 batters and struck out a new career high five batters while allowing only two hits and a run. Seattle U's pitchers combined for a 3.50 ERA on the day.
The Redhawks collected 12 hits, five runs and three RBI after both contests. Sophomore Karen Spadafora led the Redhawks with three hits in six at bats. Junior Taylor Fitch posted her fourth home run of the season, ending the day with two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Sophomore Mikee Morris also recorded two hits on the day and cemented the Redhawks' win over Northwestern with the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Aiding the SU defense was Spadafora, who combined for a team leading 16 of the 42 combined putouts on the day. Graduate Jasmine Wehn locked up nine across both contests, while Fitch combined for four total assists to lead all Redhawks between games.
Fresno State took control of the rematch in the top of the second inning after both teams went scoreless through the first. Neither team scored until the fourth, as the Bulldogs tacked on three more runs to take the lead 5-0. In response, Fitch took the first pitch in the bottom of the fourth and hit her fourth home run of the season to put Seattle U on the board.
The Bulldogs scored for the final time in the top of the fifth to maintain their buffer over the Redhawks before senior Amanda Morris hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to allow Spadafora to score. Quick three ups, three downs cemented the game 6-2 in favor of the Bulldogs after seven innings.
A few hours later, the Redhawks returned to face a highly competitive Northwestern team. The Wildcats appeared in the NCAA tournament field a season ago and were actively receiving votes in the DI rankings.
Northwestern broke through first at the top of the second inning and held the Redhawks scoreless through three frames. Seattle U would go on to tie it in the bottom of the fourth after sophomore Avari Morris pushed forward for a triple to get in scoring position. Sophomore Sophia Kissling recorded her first hit of the season for an RBI single allowing Morris to secure the equalizer.
After striking out her sixth batter, Simpson went up facing two outs and hit out the go ahead run with an RBI double to allow senior Tai Wilson to score. An error allowed Northwestern to even the game 2-2 in the top of the seventh, but Simpson struck out her eighth batter to strand Northwestern's final runner.
Back at the top of the order, Mikee Morris singled before Wilson reached on an error by Northwestern's pitcher. Fitch advanced both Morris and Wilson into scoring position after she grounded out to third base. Wehn put the ball into play with an 0-1 count and facing two outs, clearing Morris to head home. An obstruction call against Northwestern granted Morris the winning run to ice the game 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Seattle U returns for two more games tomorrow, revisiting Long Beach State at 9:30 AM PT to start the day before ending with a head-to-head against California at 2:30 PM PT. Both games will air on FloCollege for a subscription fee.
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Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics!
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Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.
Senior Nicola Simpson secured her third eight strikeout game of the season, facing 31 batters and pitching all 7.0 innings. The Seattle native locked up her third win of the year holding a 0.97 ERA on the day, allowing six hits and two runs, of which only one was earned. She paced all SU pitchers on the day.
Sophomore Berkley Vance held a 2.10 ERA against Fresno State, coming in for 3.1 innings after fellow sophomore Avari Morris collected the start and pitched 3.2 innings. Vance faced 13 batters and struck out a new career high five batters while allowing only two hits and a run. Seattle U's pitchers combined for a 3.50 ERA on the day.
The Redhawks collected 12 hits, five runs and three RBI after both contests. Sophomore Karen Spadafora led the Redhawks with three hits in six at bats. Junior Taylor Fitch posted her fourth home run of the season, ending the day with two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Sophomore Mikee Morris also recorded two hits on the day and cemented the Redhawks' win over Northwestern with the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Aiding the SU defense was Spadafora, who combined for a team leading 16 of the 42 combined putouts on the day. Graduate Jasmine Wehn locked up nine across both contests, while Fitch combined for four total assists to lead all Redhawks between games.
Fresno State took control of the rematch in the top of the second inning after both teams went scoreless through the first. Neither team scored until the fourth, as the Bulldogs tacked on three more runs to take the lead 5-0. In response, Fitch took the first pitch in the bottom of the fourth and hit her fourth home run of the season to put Seattle U on the board.
The Bulldogs scored for the final time in the top of the fifth to maintain their buffer over the Redhawks before senior Amanda Morris hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to allow Spadafora to score. Quick three ups, three downs cemented the game 6-2 in favor of the Bulldogs after seven innings.
A few hours later, the Redhawks returned to face a highly competitive Northwestern team. The Wildcats appeared in the NCAA tournament field a season ago and were actively receiving votes in the DI rankings.
Northwestern broke through first at the top of the second inning and held the Redhawks scoreless through three frames. Seattle U would go on to tie it in the bottom of the fourth after sophomore Avari Morris pushed forward for a triple to get in scoring position. Sophomore Sophia Kissling recorded her first hit of the season for an RBI single allowing Morris to secure the equalizer.
After striking out her sixth batter, Simpson went up facing two outs and hit out the go ahead run with an RBI double to allow senior Tai Wilson to score. An error allowed Northwestern to even the game 2-2 in the top of the seventh, but Simpson struck out her eighth batter to strand Northwestern's final runner.
Back at the top of the order, Mikee Morris singled before Wilson reached on an error by Northwestern's pitcher. Fitch advanced both Morris and Wilson into scoring position after she grounded out to third base. Wehn put the ball into play with an 0-1 count and facing two outs, clearing Morris to head home. An obstruction call against Northwestern granted Morris the winning run to ice the game 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Seattle U returns for two more games tomorrow, revisiting Long Beach State at 9:30 AM PT to start the day before ending with a head-to-head against California at 2:30 PM PT. Both games will air on FloCollege for a subscription fee.
Donate Today
Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics!
Follow Along With the Action
Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.