PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Playing for the first time in 21 days, the Penn State Behrend softball team swept La Roche 8-1 and 9-6 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) opener for the Lions on Saturday afternoon.
In the opener, six different players had a hit and Julie Heinl (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) struck out five while giving up four hits and one run for the win in the circle. Behrend (6-8, 2-0 AMCC) had a big third inning with six runs to complete the sweep in the nightcap, 9-6.
Freshman Katie Kirik (Union City, PA/Union City) led the Lions in game one with a double and three RBIs. The scoring began in the second inning, starting with a single and stolen base by Kelsey Fuller (Albion, PA/Northwestern). Chelsi Riordan (Conneaut Lake, PA/Linesville) stepped to the plate and knocked in Fuller, before scoring on Kirik's ground out.
Stacey Herzog (Smethport, PA/Smethport) made it 3-0 after scoring on an error on Mirrissa Parker's (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) at bat.
Both teams scored in the fifth. Behrend added five more runs for an 8-0 lead. The Redhawks avoided the five-inning sweep with a run in the bottom of the inning. Herzog had a two RBI single and Kirik followed with a two RBI double to highlight the inning.
In the second game, Herzog went 3-for-4 and Sydney Sherrieb (Washington, PA/Trinity) had a pair of hits with one being a double.
La Roche got on the board with two runs in the first. The Lions were able to score a run in the second on an error, but then came back in the third to plate six runs for a 7-2 lead.
In the third, Sherrieb doubled and Leah Griffin (Springboro, PA/Conneaut Valley) singled to put two on base. Kelly Hedderick (Waterford, PA/Mercyhurst Prep) had a hit that drove in Sherrieb and Griffin scored on Fuller's hit.
Herzog had the fifth hit of the inning to send home Hedderick, before stealing home. Kayla Frawley (Cranberry, PA/Cranberry) and Nicole King (Grove City, PA/Grove City) also had a hit in the seven hit, six run frame.
Behrend added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh.
Hedderick started on the mound and pitched three and two third innings for the win.
The Lions return to action on Tuesday at Hilbert. The doubleheader begins at 3 p.m.
