Softball Splits on Day Four of Spring Break

Softball Splits on Day Four of Spring Break

CLERMONT, FL – On their fourth day of competition over spring break in Clermont, Florida, the Penn State Behrend softball team recorded a 4-2 win over Alvernia and then fell to Moravian 10-2 in the nightcap on Thursday morning.

In the opener, the Lions (2-6) knocked in three runs on five hits in the second inning to take the lead and never look back for their second win of the season.

After going three and out in the first inning, Behrend came out hot in the second frame starting with a single from Shannon McDonnell (Fayston, VT/Harwood Union) and advancing to second base on a sacrifice bunt by AJ Nichols (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler).

Alayna Derzak (Seven Fields, PA/Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic) drove in McDonnell for the first run. Katie Gozzard (Pittsburgh, PA/Deer Lakes) got on base with a single, before Kristen Kargol (Saegertown, PA/Cambridge Springs) sent Derzak home to make it 2-0. Allania Banta (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) doubled to knock in Gozzard to finish the inning up, 3-0.

The Knights added two runs in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 3-2. Behrend added an insurance run in the sixth with a single by Gozzard to score Nichols at 4-2.

Nichols was in the circle for her first win, striking out three in seven innings of work.

In game two, the Greyhounds tallied 10 runs on 12 hits including five runs in the first inning thanks to a grand slam by Janae Matos to take the early lead.

The Lions got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Four straight hits loaded the bases and Ali Kaliszewski (Erie, PA/Iroquois) got walked to send in Nichols to make it 6-1. Behrend added just one more run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by McDonnell to score Banta.

Moravian had another big inning in the seventh with four runs on four hits for the final margin. Banta and Lacey Hilderbrand (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) each tallied two hits.

Rachel Miller (North East, PA/North East) suffered her second loss and struck out three in 6.1 innings.

The Lions returns to action tomorrow against John Carroll and Wittenberg, beginning at 2:30 p.m.