Top-ranked DePauw opens tournament with 14-6 win over Austin

DePauw University scored 13 runs in the first three innings en route to a 14-6 win over Austin College in game three of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament (SCAC) Friday, April 25, at Millennium Park in Danville, Ky.

Austin (16-22) got on the scoreboard first as Sam Smith homered to left field to put the Kangaroos out in front 1-0. That lead was short-lived as the Tigers answered with two runs in the bottom of the first to go ahead 2-1.

DePauw plated three more runs in the second inning on three run-scoring singles to push the lead to 5-1 and then exploded for eight more runs in the third to extend the lead to 13-1 after three innings. Emma Minx, Rachel Gill and Carolyn Bartlett recorded two-run hits each for the Tigers.

Austin fought back scoring two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth, but a DePauw run in the bottom of the sixth triggered the run-rule and the game ended in a 14-6 Tiger win.

Megan Soultz earned her 30th win of the season throwing 4.1 innings of two-hit softball. She allowed one run and struck out three. Kali Gossett took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. Gossett allowed five runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings.

Nine Tigers recorded at least one hit, including seven with multiple hits. Chelsy Patterson went 3-4 with two runs scored and two more driven in, while Minx and Gill had two hits and three rbi apiece.

Sam Smith and Whitney Bodine had two hits apiece for Austin in the loss. Bodine drove in a run, while Smith scored three.

DePauw will meet the winner of the Trinity University and Millsaps University game Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. Austin will look to stay alive against Hendrix College at 10 a.m. in Danville, Ky.