PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend softball team split an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) doubleheader with La Roche in a make-up game on Thursday afternoon.
The Lions (11-7, 2-2 AMCC) shut out the Redhawks (7-7, 1-1 AMCC) in game one, earning a 10-0 win in five innings before falling in the nightcap, 5-1. AJ Nichols (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) recorded her sixth win of the season in the circle, allowing one hit and striking out five in the shortened opening game.
Behrend managed to scatter 10 runs over five innings on 13 hits. Four different players had multiple hits including Mackenzie McIntire (Stoneboro, PA/Lakeview) who went 3-for-3 with two runs, a double and an RBI.
After a scoreless first inning, the Lions got on board in the second before exploding for six runs in the third. McIntire singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice. She then scored on a Lauren Wentz (Grove City, PA/Grove City) hit for a 1-0 lead. Behrend smacked seven hits to score six the next inning.
Five of the six runs scored in the third happened after the second out. Carson Hauser (Westfield, NY/Westfield Academy) singled, stole second and advanced to third on an error. Katie Gozzard (Pittsburgh, PA/Deer Lakes) knocked on into outfield for the sacrifice to make it 2-0.
Two more hits allowed Kristen Kargol's (Saegertown, PA/Cambridge Springs) triple to send in McIntire and Alexa Bupp (Warren, PA/Warren). Kargol came home on a single by Wentz and then Hauser tallied a two-RBI single for a 7-0 lead.
Behrend added another run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to halt the game due to the eight-run rule.
In the nightcap, La Roche's Alexa Young only allowed one run on six hits to force the conference split. Offensively, the Redhawks scored all five runs in the first inning. La Roche had seven hits overall and knocked in five in the first frame for the large and early lead.
Hauser added two hits to her previous two from game one and scored the only run for the Lions in the third. She got the first hit and stole another base. Gozzard got Hauser to third on an error, before Bupp knocked her in with a single.
Jillian Williams (Corry, PA/Corry) started in the circle and registered her second loss. Nichols pitched 3.2 innings and Bupp finished the final two frames.
Behrend returns to action on Saturday at Franciscan. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.