ERIE, Pa. –The Mercyhurst University Softball team swept a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division games at home against Slippery Rock Friday afternoon. The Lakers scored seven unanswered runs to take game one, 7-6, before defeating The Rock 12-3 in six innings in game two.
Rachel DiBartolomeo held a hot bat for the Lakers all afternoon. The junior finished 6-for-9 on the day with two homeruns, 6 Runs Batted In (RBIs), five runs scored and stole a base.
Courtney Brothers also had a solid performance on Friday, going 5-for-8, with five RBIs, a homerun, and scored three runs. She also recorded a stolen base.
Game One | Mercyhurst 7, Slippery Rock 6 (10 Innings)
After trailing 6-0 through six and half innings of play, the bats finally came around for Mercyhurst.
With two out and the bases loaded, Slippery Rock starter Brooke Dawson walked home
Cassandra Egelston before
Julia Lang roped a base clearing triple over the right fielder's head, pulling the Lakers within two, 6-4.
Then, in the bottom of the seventh,
Rachel DiBartolomeo would tie the game at six with a two-run bomb to left center field with one on and two outs.
The game winning run would come two innings later in the bottom of the tenth, when
Kayla Larson reached on an error by the pitcher, allowing pinch runner
Jenna Pecar to score.
Carly Konopka (2-1) earned the win, pitching seven and one-thirds inning of relief ball.
Game Two | Mercyhurst 12, Slippery Rock 3 (6 Innings)
Mercyhurst would trail 1-0 early but Brothers would give the Lakers the lead for good in the bottom of the second with a two RBI double to left center.
From there, it was three Mercyhurst homeruns that fueled the Lakers' offense.
Larson would hit the first of the game in the third inning. It was a two-run shot to left field that scored Brothers; her second homer on the year.
Brothers would add another two-run homerun in the fourth inning; her third of the season. The long ball sailed over the left field fence, increasing the Laker lead to 6-3.
Mercyhurst would tack on three more runs in the fifth, with RBIs from DiBartolomeo, Brothers and Larson.
DiBartolomeo would end the game in the sixth with her second homerun of the day, her seventh on the season, on 3-run blast to center field.
Konopka (3-1) would, again, receive the win, pitching three and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. Junior Poria McBride came in for relief of Konopka, pitching two and one-thirds inning and only allowed one hit.
Mercyhurst will be back in action tomorrow at #10 California (Pa.) for a PSAC Western Division double header. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
