Western Courier

Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Adam Sacasa Senior first baseman Samantha Valentine hit two home runs and knocked in six in two games against IPFW.

Seniors Samantha Valentine and Rachel Sinks each had two home runs and led the 'Winds to a 6-1 and 9-1 sweep of IPFW in the two-game home opener Friday.

Valentine was on fire, tallying back-to-back home runs to go along with six RBIs. She went 5-for-7 in the two games combined. Sinks hit a round tripper in both games, going a combined 3-for-5 with two RBIs on the day.

Western (3-14, 2-0 Summit League) saw the scoring output increase from previous games. The 'Winds only recorded one victory in 15 games before the contests against IPFW (4-10, 0-2 Summit), and coach Holly Van Vlymen said she was pleased with the turnaround.

"I am so proud of our team," Van Vlymen said. "Our previous record of 1-14 does not reflect our team. We had a beautiful day today, and it's great to be at home in front of our home fans."

Senior left-fielder Britt Mason also tallied a four-bagger in Game 1 to help propel the 'Winds past the visiting Mastodons.

Western not only dominated on offense, but also put together a solid performance on the defensive side of the ball. It only allowed one run and played steady in the field.

Junior pitcher Kamren Ferguson (2-9) had a great outing, earning her second victory of the season with 10 strikeouts and only one walk in seven full innings of work.

Game 2 was more of the same for the 'Winds with Valentine driving in five runs to lead the team to a 9-1 victory. The last end of the double-header also had a great pitching performance from junior Courtney Jacobson (1-3).

Jacobson earned her first victory of the season with seven strikeouts in five innings of work. She only surrendered three hits and did not walk a single hitter.

"Both Courtney and Kamren did a nice job of keeping the ball down," Van Vlymen said. "(Freshman Nikki Marinec) needs credit for calling a great game from the dugout today."

The back end of the three-game series was cancelled on Saturday. The 'Winds compete at the University of Iowa Tournament Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p.m.

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