Hot Hitting Helps Behrend Sweep Franciscan

STUEBENVILLE, Ohio – The Penn State Behrend softball team brought their bats in a 16-0 and 22-3 win over Franciscan in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions (9-9, 6-0 AMCC) remained undefeated in conference play thanks to 38 runs on 38 hits, including 10 extra-base hits, 30 RBIs in just 10 innings of work. Kelly Hedderick (Waterford, PA/Mercyhurst Prep) was on the hill for the shut-out victory in game one. She threw 43 strikes and fanned five batters.

Hedderick was one of eight different players to record a hit in the opener. Behrend scored six runs in the first and third inning, smacking three doubles and a home run by Hedderick. She also got a home run in the nightcap to surpass her three homers from last season.  Hedderick finished with three hits, three runs and six RBIs.

Sydney Sherrieb (Washington, PA/Trinity) had two doubles and Kelsey Fuller (Albion, PA/Northwestern) added one in the game-one win.

In game two, the Lions cranked out 23 hits, including four doubles and three home runs. Similar to the first game, Behrend had two big-run innings. The Lions scored six runs in the third and 10 in the fifth.

Amanda Krolczyk (Union City, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) recorded four hits on offense and got the victory in the circle. Sherrieb, Hedderick and Julia Luke (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) each hit one over the fence.

Hedderick and Luke went back-to-back with their home runs in the third inning, while Sherrieb smacked a three-run homer in the fourth frame.

With a 12-2 lead, Behrend went through the batting order twice in the fifth inning to get 10 hits and plate 10 runs.

The Barons (1-20) held a small 2-1 lead after the first inning, but the Lions kept the bats hot from the first game to gradually build the lead for the AMCC sweep.

Behrend returns to action Tuesday at Pitt-Bradford for a conference doubleheader, beginning at 3 p.m.