NEWARK, Delaware – Redshirt junior
Rachel Willis belted out six hits and freshman
Jada Santiago added three hits, including a three-run home run, as UNCW split a Colonial Athletic Association softball doubleheader against Delaware at Delaware Softball Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The Seahawks, who ran their record to 23-23 overall and 5-9 in the CAA, won the first game by a 7-3 margin before Delaware (19-23, 5-9) rallied to split the twinbill with a 6-5 triumph in the nightcap.
Willis, who went 6-for-8 with three doubles in the doubleheader, had a season-high four hits in the opener before going 2-for-3 in the second game. Santiago, meanwhile, had a 3-for-5 effort with four runs batted in while scoring three runs with a double and a home run.
Freshman
Janel Gamache contributed two hits, including a three-run home run in the first game, and drove in four runs while freshman
Logan Bjorson chipped in three hits with a double and a run batted in.
Senior
Haley Lenderman earned the win in the circle for the Seahawks in the first game, allowing just one earned run on four hits in a complete-game effort. Lenderman, who upped her record to 9-11, also notched four strikeouts.
Senior Anna Steinmetz paced Delaware in the doubleheader split by going 3-for-5 at the plate while four other Blue Hens added two hits apiece.
How It Happened – Game 1: The Seahawks surged out to a 7-0 lead over the Blue Hens. After Santiago gave UNCW a 1-0 advantage on a RBI single in the first inning, Gamache hit a three-run home run in the fourth frame to extend the margin to 4-0. Junior
Dominique Travers blasted a two-run homer in the fifth inning before Bjorson's RBI double in the sixth made it a 7-0 cushion.
How It Happened – Game 2: Delaware scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally past the Seahawks for the victory. A RBI groundout from sophomore Chayanna Gallardo trimmed the Blue Hens' deficit to 5-2 before senior Sarah Coyne tied the game with a three-run pinch hit home run with one out. Delaware earned the win two hitters later when freshman Halle Kisamore's single through the right side brought home freshman Hanna Garber, who tripled off freshman
Kelly Toomey.
Notes: Willis recorded her 100th career base hit with her single in the first inning of the first game, becoming the 36th player in program history to reach the milestone … Travers became the first UNCW player to hit 10 home runs in a season since 2008 when Carley Hughes had 12 homers … In addition, Travers moved into third place on the Seahawks' all-time list with her 17th career home run … Willis recorded her second career four-hit effort in the first game, equaling the four-hit performance she had against Campbell in 2016 … It is also the second four-hit game this year by a UNCW player after freshman
Gabriella Hessenthaler's four-hit showing against Howard on Feb. 16 … The Seahawks are now 3-8 in one-run games this season and 15-10 when hitting a home run.
Up Next: UNCW and Delaware wrap up the three-game CAA series on Saturday, Apr. 20, with a single game set for noon.
