It was a noisy start to the Central College softball season Friday as the No. 13-rated Dutch hammered Alfred 9-1 and Pitt-Bradford 13-0 in a pair of five-inning contests at the Tucson Invitational Games on Friday. In the first inning of the 2012 campaign, catcher Caitlyn Meyer belted a 3-run homer to left-center field. On the next pitch, shortstop Annie Sarcone followed with a homer of her own to left. Sarcone made it a two-homer game with a two-run shot in the fifth and also had an RBI single in the third. Central racked up 11 hits in the contest as Meyer also went 3-for-3. Pitcher Brie Haycraft yielded a first-inning run and finished with a six-hitter, with four strikeouts and no walks.

In the nightcap, Central erupted for nine runs in the fifth inning to finish off Pitt-Bradford. Freshman third baseman Whitney Sowers had three hits and scored two runs. In the circle, Rhianna Fleetwood and freshman Mallory Schulenberg combined on a one-hit shutout. Central and Alfred square off again today, followed by a contest against McKendree.

Behind eight solid innings from senior Joel Pulliam on the mound, the Central College baseball team rapped out 17 hits as the Dutch cruised to a 12-0 win over Babson College Friday in the spring break opener. Pulliam scattered four hits and struck out seven while walking one. Sophomore Judson McKown worked the ninth inning and gave up one hit.

On offense, Central posted two runs in the third inning and broke things open with five runs in the fifth. Third baseman Jordan Judkins led the way at the plate, going 5-for-5 with a triple and scoring four runs. His five hits tie the school record. The Dutch are now 3-1 overall and face Elms College today for a seven-inning doubleheader as the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic continues in Fort Myers, Florida.

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