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Ashland, Ohio -- The Wayne State University softball squad (29-9 overall, 9-5 GLIAC) completed a weekend road trip by blanking Ashland Univeristy (21-14 overall, 10-8 GLIAC) twice in victories of 5-0 and 3-0.  The Eagles entered the weekend ranked fourth in the NCAA Midwest Region, while the Warriors were voted seventh last week by the NCAA Selection Committee.

In the four road wins this weekend, WSU outscored Malone and Ashland by a combined 11-1.

Game 1
Despite not scoring after loading the bases with no outs in the top of the first, WSU snapped a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth off Eagle hurler Sarah Alley (9-6).  Julie Ingratta (Markham, Ont. / St. Thomas of Villanova College) singled and Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic) advanced her to second with a sacrifice bunt.  Amanda Burnard (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) delivered an RBI single to left scoring Ingratta with the game's first run.

Wayne State added an insurance run in the sixth as McGarr had a one-out single, and Burnard followed with her third consecutive single.  Briana Lee's (Canton, Mich. / Salem) pinch-hit single to center plated McGarr to make it 2-0.

The Warriors tacked on three runs in the top of the seventh as Emily Cava (Oakville, Ont. / Cardinal Leger S.S.) had a leadoff hit.  After a fielder's choice, pitcher Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) singled prior to a passed ball and a strikeout.  Ingratta then laced a two-run triple to right and scored on a base hit by McGarr.

Butler (14-4) allowed a season-high 10 hits, but notched her ninth shutout of the year by stranding 11 Eagles on base.  She struck out five and walked just one.

Alley surrendered five earned runs as the Warriors pounded out 14 hits.  She struck out two and did not walk a batter.

Burnard went 3-for-4 to extend her hitting streak to a season-best four games.  Cava, Butler, Ingratta and McGarr each had two hits apiece with Ingratta scoring twice and driving in two.

Game 2
Wayne State jumped on AU starter McKenna Galloway (0-2) by scoring twice in the bottom of the first and adding another run the next inning.

In the bottom of the first, Cava walked and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Logan White (Brantford, Ont. / Johnson C.V.I.).  Cava advanced to third as Butler reached on an error, then scored on a single by Emily Bryce (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester Adams).  Butler scored as Ingratta reached on a fielder's choice.

The next frame, McGarr reached on a one-out walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Shannon Hilton (Gilford, Ont. / Bradford).  Cava delivered an RBI single to center field making it 3-0.

WSU managed just two hits over the final four innings off Eagle reliever Brittany Flanigan, but the three runs were more than enough for Lee (14-2), who tallied her sixth shutout of the campaign.  Lee struck out six and did not walk a batter, while allowing just one hit (a leadoff single in the second by Kourtney Yarnall).  She faced just 24 batters (a hit by pitch and reached on an error accounted for the two other batters faced).

Galloway allowed three runs (two earned) on a pair of hits and two walks in her two innings of work.  Flanigan retired 12 of the 15 batters she faced.

Cava, White, Bryce and Lee accounted for the four WSU hits with Lee's double being the only extra-base hit of the contest.

Wayne State will be extremely busy the final week of the regular season playing five GLIAC doubleheaders in a six-day span (three of the twinbills are make-ups) starting wtih a two-game set at Ferris State on Tuesday.  The Warriors will host Lake Erie on Wednesday, Northwood on Friday and Lake Superior on Saturday before concluding the regular season with two games at Saginaw Valley on Sunday.