Topeka, KS – The University of Sioux Falls softball wrapped up their first day of the Washburn Invitational with a 2-0 record and didn’t surrender a run in Saturday afternoon’s games. The Cougars won their first game of the day vs Pittsburgh State 7-0 and 1-0 against Central Missouri later in the day.
Game One: USF 7, Pitt State 0
Kait Van Der Zwaag started and finished the game from the circle with a stellar pitching performance surrendering 7 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts on the day. Along with her pitching dominance in game 1, Van Der Zwaag finished the day 2-2 at the plate with a double and a home run, drawing a walk, and driving in two RBI in the game.
The game was tied 0-0 through two innings and it was Kylie Madrid who singled to score Rylie Jones in the 3rd to take a 1-0 lead. Van Der Zwaag brought two more runs across later in the inning with a two run blast to make it 3-0.
It was in the 6th when the Cougars broke the game open with a single by Kennedy Thomas scoring Van Der Zwaag to make it 4-0. USF brought the sticks in Game 1 as Rylie Jones hit an RBI single later in the inning to make it 5-0 for the Cougars, followed by a Lexie Swift two run single, scoring Kennedy Thomas and Damaris Cuevas to make it 7-0.
The Cougars ended game 1 with seven players combining for 10 hits on the day. Lexie Swift and Kait Van Der Zwaag ended the game with two RBI a piece and the Cougars got some help from freshman Reese Holzhueter and Rylie Jones both getting two base hits on the day. Van Der Zwaag pitched her first shutout of the season & hit her 2nd home run of the season.
Game Two: USF 1, Central Missouri 0
In an early season pitcher’s duel, the Cougars come out victorious against Central Missouri by a score of 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. In a quick game in just over 90 minutes, the Cougars improve to 2-0 on Day 1 of the Washburn Invitational on a chilly day in Topeka, Kansas.
Hanna Cress took the mound for the Cougars in Game 2 with a dominating performance from the circle with a complete game shutout. Cress ended the day with 7 innings pitched, 2 hits, 7 strikeouts, and surrendering 0 runs. The Cougars notched four hits on the day from Kait Van Der Zwaag with two hits, Hanna Cress getting a base knock of her own, and Lexie Swift coming up huge in the 4th with an RBI single scoring Cress for the only run of the game. The Cougars drew five walks on the day and leaving nine left on base. It only took one though, as the Cougars came up victorious against two UCM pitchers who had stellar days from the circle themselves.
