INDIANA, Pa. – The Mercyhurst University softball team concluded the 2015 season Sunday afternoon in Indiana (Pa.), splitting a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contests. The Lakers (16-28, 10-19 PSAC) would fall in game, 5-1, while game two saw Mercyhurst battle for a 9-8 win in eight innings.
Mercyhurst would take the early lead in the top of the first of game one.
Taylor Jezuit recorded the first base hit of the afternoon, singling to right field, and proceeded to steal second.
Becky Malaga would move her to third as she was called out at second trying to extend a single into a double. With two outs,
Courtney Brothers brought the run in, singling to right field, for her tenth double of the season.
Starting pitcher
Annie Truelove ran into trouble in the third as she allowed three runs on three hits and error. The senior allowed a leadoff single who would later score on an RBI single to shortstop. The Crimson Hawks would take the lead on a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. The batter would follow the wild pitch with a single up the middle to take a 3-1 lead.
IUP would add another run in the fourth off Truelove. After walking the second batter of the inning, Hannah Mercer tripled to right center, driving in Amy Fairman from first.
Shortstop Stephanie McCoy's single through the right side would drive in the Indiana (Pa.) fifth run with two outs and the bases loaded.
Brothers finished game one recording two of the Lakers' five hits and drove in the lone Mercyhurst run. The Crimson Hawks out-hit the Lakers 12-5 in the contest.
Alexa Campbell (9-10) earned the complete game victory, while Truelove (6-16) received the loss.
In the nightcap, it was a back-and-forth contest as the Lakers got the last run across the plate in the eighth to end the 2015 season with a 9-8 win.
Five of the first six Mercyhurst runs were drove in on RBI singles. The Lakers would post one run in the first on a Malaga single back up the middle, while most of the damage was done in the top of the second. Mercyhurst would put up a five spot on the Crimson Hawks starting pitcher Amanda Spindler. After a Jezuit RBI single to right field scored Laker starting pitcher
Alexandra Puckly, freshman Cassandra Egleston stole home to put the lead at 3-0. Malaga would then record her second RBI of the game, singling down the left field line, while
Rachel DiBartolomeo and
Kayla Larson each followed with RBI singles of their own. Mercyhurst ended the top half of the inning leading, 6-0.
The Crimson Hawks would respond, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the second. IUP strung together three RBI singles in the inning and one run scored on a bases loaded walk delivered by Puckly. Puckly's day was over after the second inning, letting up four runs, all earned, and four hits.
IUP would have another big inning in the fourth as they scored three runs with two outs off reliever
Heather Nye. The freshman let up eighth homerun in the inning off McCoy to tie the game, while an RBI single Meghan Carney gave Indiana (Pa.) their first lead of the game, 7-6.
Mercyhurst would take the lead back in the sixth, scoring two runs off RBI singles from DiBartolomeo and Nye. However, IUP would tie the game in the bottom of the seventh off a wild pitch to send the game to extras.
It would take long for the Lakers to respond as Truelove reached safely on a fielder's choice, allowing DiBartolomeo to score the game-winning run. Nye (4-4) retired IUP in order in the bottom half of the inning to secure her fourth win of the season.
With the split, Mercyhurst ends the season 16-28 overall and 10-19 in PSAC play. IUP moves their record to 15-21 overall, 13-13 PSAC.
