ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with the Hiram on Sunday in their home opener. The Lions won 6-1 in game one and fell 4-3 in eight innings in the nightcap.
Noteworthy:
* Senior infielder Maria Jones (Wilcox, PA/Johnsonburg) tallied her 100th career hit with a home run in game two
Game One: Penn State Behrend 6, Hiram 1
Records: Penn State Behrend (7-6), Hiram (5-8)
Key Moments:
* The Lions had a pair of three-run innings to defeat the Terriers for the second time this season by an identical score
* Jocelyn McNany (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) and Meghan Petitte (Sugarcreek, OH/Garaway) each tallied two hits
* Pitcher Abby Tingley (Union City, PA/Union City) smacked her first collegiate home run and registered the win in the circle
* Tingley allowed one run on six hits for her third win of the season
* Defensively, the Lions turned two double plays to keep Hiram off the scoreboard
* In the bottom of the sixth with one out and runners on the corners, Behrend used the double play to escape any damage
* The Terriers hinders Tingley's shutout with a run in the top of the seventh
* Brittany Shaw (St. Mary's, PA/St. Mary's) drove in a pair of runs in the second with a single up the middle and McNany sent home Shaw for a 3-0 lead after the second inning
* Tingley's home run over the right-field fence pushed the lead to 4-0, while Petitte's double scored two more runs
Game Two: Hiram 4, Penn State Behrend 3 (8)
Records: Penn State Behrend (7-7), Hiram (6-8)
Key Moments:
* M. Jones entered the doubleheader only needed two hits for 100 and went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in game two to lead the Lions
* Jones got the first hit of the game in the bottom of the opening frame as the lead-off hitter and then smacked a long ball in the bottom of the third for her 100th hit
* Jones got the Lions on the board with her home run and facing two outs
* Hiram answered with a run in the fourth
* Kayla Lindberg (Austinburg, OH/Geneva) had a two innings (3rd/5th) where she tallied a pair of strikeouts, finishing with seven over seven frames
* In the top of the sixth with runners on second and third for Hiram and one out, Lindberg got Behrend out of the jam with a strikeout and a pop up
* Behrend took the lead in the sixth thanks to a Jones double and her scoring the go-ahead run on a foul out by Lexi Edgett (Frisco, TX/Lone Star)
* Hiram tied it in the seventh to force extra innings and the tiebreaker rules
* The Terriers scored two runs on two hits in the eight, while the Lions could only get one runner around for a 4-3 final
* M. Jones, who came in relief in the eighth, suffered her second loss in the circle
Next Up:
* The Lions return to action on Sunday at Marietta for a non-conference doubleheader. Games begin at 12 p.m.
