Softball Blanks Loyola Marymount 8-0

Friday, February 19

Cathedral City, CA

11:30 PM ET

Army West Point

2-6

Loyola Marymount

4-3

Army

Loyola Marymount

Softball Blanks Loyola Marymount 8-0

February 20, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The Army West Point softball team blanked Loyola Marymount, 8-0, in six innings Friday evening at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at the Big League Dreams Complex. Kristen West earned her first win in the circle of the year after allowing zero runs.

"Tonight's games were just flat out exciting, well played games," said head coach Michelle DePolo. "Despite the score in game one, the team really put the bat on the ball very well. We've got to tip our hat to Cal Poly as they played out of their minds on defense. All day long this hard ground has been causing defensive miscues for every team and they robbed us of every well hit ball possible from bunts, to hard slaps on the ground, line drives, Texas leaguers and long balls. We still made fantastic offensive adjustments and peppered around their ace, who is a very impressive pitcher. Their hits fell where we were not and we are working on eliminating that one big hit. Overall, it was a great igniter into game two.

"Game two was all about executing on their plays. We started off the first inning by being walked twice, and never looked back. Kristen pitched great to a free swinging team who has proved they will put runs on the board. Our defense did very well behind her and made every possible out they could."

The Black Knights (2-6) came out of the gate hot and scored two runs at the top of the first. Kasey McCravey had a one-run RBI single up the middle which allowed Mae Wadyka to find home. Later in the inning, Smith was grounded out to short stop and tallied an RBI as Kristen McPeek scored.

Army was quiet until the fourth inning when McCravey stroked another RBI single and Wadyka scored increasing the Cadets' lead to 3-0. Neither team was able to get on the board in the fifth, but at the top of the sixth Army took the game out of reach of the Lions (4-3).

The Black Knights tallied five runs in the first portion of the sixth capitalizing on four hits. Wadyka had an RBI single up the middle which sent Harrison home. Then, a two-run double to left field by McCravey sent Wadyka and Ashley Yoo around the bases to put Army ahead 6-0.

After reaching base due to being hit by a pitch, McPeek scored when Gladys Esparza-Gallegos had a one-run single to the center fielder to take an 8-0 lead over the Lions.

At the bottom of the seventh, West notched a strikeout before Yoo caught a fly ball at center field and McCravey recorded a groundout from third to end the game in six innings due to the mercy rule.

McCravey led the Cadets with a season-high four RBIs on three hits, two of them being doubles. Wadyka tallied an RBI and double, while Caroline Smith, Alee Rashenskas and Esparza-Gallegos each had one RBI. Wadyka also recorded a double for the Black Knights. Maddie Kim had a career-high seven putouts and one assist for Army from the catcher's position.

"Kasey is a big player who wants to play big teams all the time," DePolo said. "She steps up to every challenge we've ever put in front of her. As a home coming to the West Coast, also fueled by hometown rivalries, I expected her to have some fireworks this weekend."

Army will be back in action on Saturday with a game versus the Razorbacks at 3 p.m. (ET) and one opposite the Wolverines at 8 p.m. (ET), also at the Big League Dream Complex. All games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will be streamed for fans by FloSoftball for a fee.

For up-to-date information about Army softball, please follow @ArmyWP_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.

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