NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster softball team posted a pair of wins over Penn State Behrend, 2-1 (eight innings) and 8-3, in non-conference action on Monday afternoon.
It was a pitcher's dual in the opener with only five combined hits and 17 combined strikeouts between the Lions (7-5) AJ Nichols (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) and Jazmyn Rohrer for the Titans (9-5). Westminster rallied to score two unanswered runs, one in the fifth and the final in the eighth with a sacrifice fly from Alexa Owrey for the win.
In game two, all the runs were scored in the first two innings with the Titans taking a 2-1 lead after the first and then Behrend scoring two runs in the second for a 3-2 edge. Westminster plated six runs in the second for the five-run margin that would stand through five scoreless innings.
Carson Hauser (Westfield, NY/Westfield Academy) tallied three hits on the day, going 2-for-4 in the nightcap. Katie Gozzard (Pittsburgh, PA/Deer Lakes) and Lauren Wentz (Grove City, PA/Grove City) each smacked their first home run of the season.
Wentz got her first collegiate home run in game one in the top of the third inning as the first batter. Behrend tallied another hit in the frame and left one on base for the 1-0 lead.
Westminster knotted the game at 1-all with a run in the bottom of the fifth off a sacrifice fly and the unearned run. The Lions had the first go around at the international tiebreaking rule with placing Wentz on second. Marissa Torretti (DuBois, PA/DuBois) pinch ran for Wentz and made it to third on bunt sacrifice by Angela Sullivan (Belle Vernon, PA/Belle Vernon). A fielder's choice stopped Torretti from making it home and the third out was recorded to halt Behrend from taking the lead.
The Titan's started out with Hannah Ritter stealing third and then scoring on a sacrifice fly from Owrey to win the game, 2-1.
Nichols suffered her first loss of the season, allowing two hits and striking out seven.
In game two, Behrend and Westminster each recorded four doubles among the 10 hits by either team. Alexa Bupp (Warren, PA/Warren) made both hits doubles and tallied an RBI in the first inning to score Hauser for a 1-0 lead.
The Titans tallied two runs at the end of the frame for a small 2-1 lead. Gozzard homered in the second and Hauser hit an RBI single to right field to score Torretti to regain the lead at 3-2. Westminster answered with six runs in the second for an 8-3 final.
Brittney Williams (Atlantic, PA/Conneaut Lake) got the start in the circle and the loss for the Lions.
Behrend returns to action on Thursday against Thiel. The doubleheader begins at 3:30 p.m.