The outstanding pitching of DePauw University junior, Kahla Nolan, highlighted the Tigers' sweep of the Allegheny College Saturday afternoon.
With the pair of wins, the Tigers have now locked up a spot in the NCAC tournament at the end of the season.
"We need to continue to be aggressive and play to the best of our abilities," sophomore Linsey Button said. "We don't have to be perfect, but not letting mistakes compound and being resilient in those tough situations allow us to be successful in our last few games."
Nolan led the way for the Tigers. The junior threw all 12 innings on Saturday, allowing only one unearned run.
Allegheny scored that run in the bottom of the second inning of game one on a Halea Hayden single to take a 1-0 lead.
After tying the game in the fourth inning, the Tigers exploded for four runs in the top of the fifth. Junior Jennifer Ridge drove in two with a single and was followed up by run scoring singles from senior Lauren Krumwiede and Button.
With a comfortable lead, Nolan could focus on shutting down the Gators. She retired 10 out of the last 11 batters that she faced. Nolan went the distance for the Tigers six hits and allowing only one run while striking out four Gators.
Despite throwing 123 pitches in the first game, DePauw head coach, Erica Hanrahan called upon Nolan to pitch in the series finale.
"This sort of thing isn't really as much of an issue in softball as long as you don't have a game the next day," Hanrahan said. "That being said, taking care of Kahla and keeping her healthy is a major concern for us."
Nolan was once again the story for the Tigers. The junior pitched the entirety of the five inning game allowing four hits and no runs while striking out three.
A six run third inning provided all of the offense the Tigers would need in game two. After already scoring two runs in the inning, Button stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and promptly cleared them with a grand slam to right center field.
"I knew this a crucial point in the game where we could break it open and relieve a lot of the pressure on our pitcher, Kahla, and the defense," Button said. "I was down 0-2 in the at bat and was just trying to poke the ball for a base hit and was able to get a good bat on the ball."
The Tigers would go on to add two more runs in the top of the fourth and go on to win by a score of 8-0 in five innings thanks to the mercy rule.
The pair of victories helped establish the Tigers at the top of the NCAC standings. They now sit a full two games clear of second place Wittenberg University with an important set of games to begin Wednesday night.
DePauw now holds an overall record of 20-14 and a solid conference record of 10-2.
The key to the success of the Tigers has been Kahla Nolan. She has proved to be the workhorse of the Tiger pitching staff.
The junior has appeared in 31 of the teams 34 games so far this season and has already pitched an incredible 180 innings.
"She's pitched every conference inning for us so far this season," Hanrahan said.
Her record stands at 17-9, and she has also collected one save. Nolan has recorded 117 strikeouts. When comparing the number of innings she has pitched to her microscopic 2.37 earned run average, it is easy to see what a large part she has played into the Tigers' success.
"I don't think we could have asked for any more out of her," first-year Julia Waggoner said. "The amount of games that she's pitched is truly remarkable."
Wittenberg and DePauw are scheduled to meet for an important doubleheader Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Softball Field at DePauw's athletic campus.