MILWAUKEE -- Junior pitcher Jessica Goetz tossed a blistering 17 strikeouts in the first game of the Alverno College softball team's Northern Athletics Conference doubleheader at Milwaukee School of Engineering, breaking her own single game record of 15 set last season, helping the Inferno snatch one more victory, 3-1, before falling in the second game, 8-2, in their final games of the season on Wednesday.
The Inferno, who conclude their season at 7-23 overall, 5-19 in league play, were deadlocked in a scoreless game with the Raiders until Alverno took advantage of two errors to score senior center fielder Melissa Bankenbush (Franksville/Union Grove) at the top of the fourth inning. After senior third baseman Andrea Spindler (Greendale) and senior catcher Rebecca Schmid (Tigerton) reached on singles at the top of the seventh inning, sophomore shortstop Megan Burgess (Racine/Park) stepped to the plate and sent them both home, ripping a 2 RBI double down the left-field line to lengthen the Inferno's lead.
The Raiders answered back in the bottom of the seventh with their only run of the game, but Goetz (Milwaukee/Greendale Martin Luther) appropriately ended the game with her 17th punchout of the contest for the third out of the inning. In addition to her record-breaking strikeout total, Goetz allowed just three hits and walked one for a complete seven inning game in the circle.
Schmid and Burgess led the Inferno in the batter's box, batting 2-for-4 in the game.
The Inferno started off game two on the right foot with a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but Goetz couldn't seem to bring the same level of magic to her pitches as MSOE racked up 11 hits in the game.
The Raiders took a 4-2 lead after scoring three runs in the third inning, and would shut out the Inferno for the remainder of the contest while tacking on four more runs to take the game.
Freshman first baseman Calan Hess (Franklin) led the Inferno's offense in the second game with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Bankenbush and Spindler each tallied an RBI in the game, as Bankenbush belted an RBI double in the third inning and Spindler hit a single to score Schmid in the first inning.
Goetz took the loss in the circle in the second game with three strikeouts and two walks as she tossed her final complete game of the season. For the 2009 season, Goetz racked up an impressive 164.2 innings pitched to finish with the second-highest total in the NAC.
