BUFFALO, NY – Ashley Gruber (Burton, OH/Berkshire) went 7-for-8 on the day while leading the Penn State Behrend softball team to two victories over Medaille in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action. The Lions won game one 11-1 before taking game two, 8-5.
Both Gruber and Amy Greene (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent) broke the school record for career doubles in the first game. Gruber now has 41 career two-baggers with Greene sitting at 40.
In game one, Behrend jumped out to an early 8-0 lead after the first two innings. The first four hitters in the lineup all scored in the first inning. In the second inning, the Lions got four clutch two-out hits to plate four runs.
After getting a run across in the third, Behrend put up two more in the fifth to push the lead to 10. Kelsey Fuller (Albion, PA/Northwestern) and Greene both hit RBI singles in the inning.
Julie Heinl (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) got her 10th win after pitching all five innings and only allowing one unearned run.
In game two, Behrend fell behind 2-0 after two innings of play but rallied in the third for two runs to tie the game at 2-all. The Lions briefly took the lead after putting one up in the fourth, but the Mavericks answered with one of their own in the bottom half.
Behrend once again took the lead in the fifth, but Medaille was not going quietly. The Mavericks came back again to tie the game at 4-all.
Both teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth, sending the game into extras. In the eighth, the Lions' bats came alive. Behrend pushed four runs across to take an 8-4 lead. Medaille's last effort was not enough, giving the Lions an 8-5 victory.
In the second game, Gruber was 4-for-4 with a single, double, triple and home run for the cycle.
The Lions will be back in action on Friday. Behrend will host La Roche at 3 p.m.
