Behrend Softball Opens 2010 Home Season Against Thiel With Sweep

The Penn State Behrend Softball team opened up the 2010 home schedule against the Thiel Tomcats in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, March 30.  The Behrend Lions were victorious in the first game and followed that up with another win in the second of the doubleheader.

In the first game, both teams were a bit rusty out of the gates and the game went scoreless into the third inning.  In the bottom of the third with two outs, Ashley Gruber (Burton/Berkshire) stepped up to the plate with the bases full of Behrend Lions.  She would hit a ball to right field which the right fielder would miss play and would in turn, score all the runners to make it a 3-0 game in favor of the blue and white.  It wasn't until the top of the 5th when the Tomcats would break through as Steph Smith would double to bring home a run and Melissa Rankin would tie the game up at three with a two RBI single up the middle.  In the bottom of the sixth, the blue and white would put the game away for good as freshman Mary DeMino (Wexford/North Allegheny) would triple home Brittany Simpson (Port Matilda/Bald Eagle) and Marissa Lisanti (Pittsburgh/Shaler) and would, in fact, score herself on an error by the second basemen to put the Behrend Lions up 6-3.  Freshman pitcher Brooke Tarasovich (Bethel Park/Bethel Park) would toss all seven innings and pick up a hard earned victory for her teammates. 

The second game saw the blue and white get on the board early as DeMino would continue her success from the first game and would lead off this game with a double in the gap.  Kessi Osborne (Ellwood City/Riverside) would come to the plate and would connect on a single through the right side that would allow DeMino to cross the plate for a 1-0 Behrend lead.  In the top of the 5th, Thiel would get a runner on who would eventually advance to third and Becky Betteridge would single to score her and tie the game at one.  In the bottom of the 6th, Amy Greene (Erie/Strong Vincent) would lead off with a double to the gap and would later advance to third on a sacrifice fly.  Gruber would come up big once again as she singled Greene home and put the Behrend Lions up by one at 2-1.  Sophomore Emma Hahn (Smethport/Smethport) would throw a gem as she went the distance and only allowed two hits while striking out five. 

The Penn State Behrend Lions are now 6 and 6 overall and remain 0-2 in AMCC play.  Next up for the blue and white will be another road conference matchup with the Pitt-Bradford Panthers.  Behrend will stay on the road as they will then travel to Westminster in another non-conference matchup on Tuesday, April 6.