Softball Eliminated From AMCC Championships; Lions Fall To Mt. Aloysius

ALTOONA, Pa. – The Mt. Aloysius softball team scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a three-run lead and hold on for an 8-7 victory over Penn State Behrend in the elimination game of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament on Saturday.

The Lions (15-21) had four home runs by four different players, but were stopped short of the comeback in the seventh inning with just two runs to fall by one run. Katie Kirik (Union City, PA/Union City), Stacey Herzog (Smethport, PA/Smethport), Sydney Sherrieb (Washington, PA/Trinity) and Leah Griffin (Springboro, PA/Conneaut Valey) each hit it over the fence. Herzog went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and two RBIs.

Behrend had a 5-4 lead heading into the sixth inning. Griffin homered to center field in the second inning to tie the game at 1-all. Sherrieb and Kirik smacked their home runs in the top of the third to help the Lions score four runs and take a 5-1 advantage.

The Mounties (25-11) added three runs in the bottom of the third to pull within one run.

Both pitchers, Julie Heinl (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) for Behrend and Kelsey Ickes for Mt. Aloysius, pitched through two scoreless innings. The Mounties were able to crack Heinl in the bottom of the sixth and when they need to most. Mt. Aloysius had a sacrifice fly and took advantage of a fielding error to plate four runs for an 8-5 lead.

Herzog smashed a two-run homer over the left-field fence in the top of the seventh, but that wasn't enough to regain the lead the Lions once had.

Heinl was the starting pitcher and went five and two thirds inning before Kelly Hedderick (Waterford, PA/Mercyhurst) came in to finish the sixth inning. Heinl gave up 10 hits and six earned runs while striking out four.

Behrend finishes the season with a 15-21 overall record.