COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Kaitlyn Willis capped her standout career with a pair of vintage pitching performances on Senior Day, willing Ursinus to a Centennial Conference softball sweep in the regular-season finale.
Willis tossed a pair of complete-game gems and gave the Bears (15-21, 4-12) just enough time to squeeze out two one-run victories, 2-1 and 3-2, and end the 2018 season on a high note. The senior's 38th and 39th career wins pushed Ursinus to its first conference sweep of the campaign.
The Bears scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to come from behind in the opener, while junior Kayla Quinn's first career home run and freshman Heather Lazer's go-ahead single in the fourth inning was enough to back Willis in the nightcap.
Junior Gabrielle Manto led Ursinus with three hits on the afternoon, and senior Rachel Hyman made several impressive plays at third base in her final collegiate contest.
Game 1: Ursinus 2, Dickinson 1
Dickinson took a lead right away as No. 2 hitter Jessica Epstein singled home Brigitte Gutpelet with no outs in the top of the first. But thanks to Willis' dominance, that was all the Red Devils would get.
After four nearly flawless innings from Madison Milaszewski, the Bears finally began to get a footing in the batter's box in the bottom of the fifth. Hyman worked a 10-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout, but freshman Alyssa Meyers also battled through a long at-bat to smack a single into right-center. Manto followed with her second hit, lofting a perfectly placed ball over the head of the third base-woman. The Red Devil shortstop made a nice play to get speedy freshman Michela Coleman at first to end the inning.
With Willis holding Dickinson to a 2-for-15 effort with runners on (1-for-10 in scoring position), the Bears' offense finally solved the Milaszewski mystery. Junior Faith Carson laced a single into left center to open the frame, and classmate Callie Crouse followed with an exquisite bunt down the first-base line, pulling the infielder off her line and beating it out for a base hit.
Lazer put down another nice bunt and Milaszewski's throw got away, allowing the tying run to score on putting Bears on the corners with no outs. Freshman Morgan Comfort dropped another bunt down, reaching safely when the second basewoman was off the bag and plating Crouse with the go-ahead run.
Armed with a lead for the first time, Willis retired Dickinson in order in the seventh to close out the win. She got some help from her defense along the way, as Quinn made several diving plays at second base and Manto had a terrific over-the-shoulder catch for the first out in the second.
Willis (8-10) allowed seven hits, walking two with one strikeout. Milaszewski (9-4) was charged with just one earned run, striking out seven without a walk. Gutpelet and Julie Siecinski each went 2-for-3 for the Red Devils.
Manto finished 2-for-4 for Ursinus, the lone Bear with multiple hits. Five of the home team's seven knocks came in the fifth and sixth innings.
Game 2: Ursinus 3, Dickinson 2
After a game one win built on small ball, it was the long ball that got the Bears off to a fast start in the season finale. After a two-out single up the middle by Comfort in the bottom of the second, Quinn blasted a two-run homer over the fence in left-center for her first career round-tripper and a 2-0 lead.
Dickinson got one back in the third and tied it in the fourth, though Willis did strand runners on first and third to end the inning.
Ursinus got the upper hand right back. Carson led off with a single, took second on Crouse's sacrifice, and came around on Lazer's hard-hit knock down the left-field line to make it 3-2.
Willis allowed one single in the sixth before a 1-2-3 seventh – which started with a lineout to Hyman at third – polished off the sweep.
Willis (9-10) conceded six hits with a walk and two strikeouts. She finished her spectacular career with 53 complete games, 39 wins, and 340 strikeouts in 466.1 innings.