The women’s softball team has made history — again.

On Wednesday evening in Springfield, Ohio, the Yeowomen notched two stunning victories against the Wittenberg University Tigers with scores of 4–10 and 6–9. They are the team’s third and fourth North Coast Athletic Conference wins of the season — tying a program record — and also its first-ever sweep of a doubleheader against a conference foe.

The heavily-favored Tigers (22–16 overall, 7–9 NCAC), who are ranked fourth in the conference, took the field with a berth to the conference tournament on the line and probably expected a cakewalk. But the eighth-place Yeowomen (14–24, 4–10), preceded by a tough losing stretch in which six of eight straight losses came by fewer than two runs, bounced back with a vengeance.

“It was incredible,” said head coach Mimi Mahon. Not that she was surprised: “That was my expectation.”

The fun for the Yeowomen began, as it has all season, with success from the batter’s box.

After giving up a run in the first inning of the doubleheader’s opening game, the Yeowomen responded in the second inning by scoring nine runs — a number so high that it’s nearly unheard of in softball at the collegiate level. That sudden offensive flourish was a rude awakening to the Tigers, who never recovered thanks in large part to sophomore Emily King’s superb showing on the mound. King pitched seven innings, allowing nine hits and just four runs while notching four strikeouts.

Following the victory, the Yeowomen were so giddy, having grown accustomed to the opposition coming back and stealing wins, that “they didn’t know what to do with themselves,” according to Mahon.

“We’ve been meeting at the mound between games recently [to discuss what the team can do to improve],” she said. But the first win was so emphatic that the Yeowomen forgot about it. “We’d forgotten what it feels like to win. We didn’t know what to do when we closed out.”

Despite forgetting to meet, the closing game was filled with more of the same: efficient Yeowomen batting overwhelming the Tiger defense. This time the Yeowomen didn’t wait, jumping ahead to a 0–5 lead before the first Wittenberg run in the bottom of the second. After three innings the margin closed to 3–5, but the Tigers would get no closer.

First-year Katie Pieplow proved formidable on the mound in the second game, tossing three strikeouts while allowing just 10 hits and six runs over seven innings.

But Pieplow’s offensive contribution might have been even more significant. She batted three-for-four in the second game, including four runs batted-in. That followed a 2–4 performance in the initial game, and, before that, another 3–4 showing in the Yeowomen’s near-upset of nationally ranked DePauw University on Sunday. Eight hits in four days — not too shabby.

“I’ve been hitting the ball extremely well,” Peiplow said. “Probably the best I’ve ever hit in my entire career.”

Or, as coach Mahon would say, “she’s been hitting the crap out of the ball.”

But as Mahon is quick to point out, she’s not alone. The Yeowomen have vastly improved in that department. Last year, the team as a whole registered 207 hits. This spring? 316. The key, Mahon says, has been a mentality change.

“It’s about not putting so much pressure on ourselves,” she said, reminding her players that “tomorrow is going to go on no matter what happens today.”

That profound alteration in outlook has done more than just increase the number of hits; it’s meant more wins. At 14–24, the Yeowomen have nine more wins than they did last spring. And, they’ve nearly doubled the previous program record of eight victories.

It’s also been fun, which is what matters according to Pieplow. “We’ve enjoyed this season immensely,” she reflected.

But it’s not over yet.

The Yeowomen conclude their season next weekend with an away doubleheader against the College of Wooster. Like Wittenberg, Wooster has the better record. But don’t count the ladies from Oberlin down and out just yet.