Erie, Pa. – Mercyhurst Softball dominates Pitt-Johnstown to begin their home stretch. The Lakers defeat the Mountain Cats twice, winning the first game by a score of 9-1, and the second, 11-3.
 
How It Happened
 
First Game
Mercyhurst managed to get an early lead in the first inning as Anna O'Geen advanced to second on the error and Madison Fry scored, 1-0. Allison Dejidas added another run in the same inning with a single to center field, bringing O'Geen home.
 
In the second inning, the Lakers extended their lead with Kaci Irwin's single. Cheyenne Hindman also flied out to center field and Fry scored, giving Mercyhurst 5-1 lead.
 
Finally, in the fifth inning, Dejidas reached first on an error by second base, bringing Fry home, and ending the game with a final score of 9-1 in favor of Mercyhurst.
 
Second Game
In the second game of the day the Mountain Cats got an early lead with Laura Fox's homer in the first inning and a single from Mia Smith in the second inning, 2-0.
 
In the third inning, Mercyhurst scored their first run with Irwin's single as she brought in Alexandra Acosta-Reyes home. Later in the inning, Hindman hit a homer to score both Fry and Irwin, and gave Mercyhurst a 4-2 lead.
 
The Lakers didn't slow down as they added three more runs in the fifth with Marissa Cartellone's double, bringing Dejidas home. Irwin also singled with  Acosta-Reyes home and Karlie Kasten both coming home to make it a 9-3 as the Lakers took full advantage.
 
Mercyhurst finished things in the sixth as Cartellone hit a triple and scored Jessica Clark and Brianne Egelston to help them claim an 11-3 lead and end the game early for their second victory of the game.
 
Highlights
Marissa Cartellone proved to be a big bat with her going 5-7 with a pair of doubles and a triple to go along with four RBIs while scoring four runs as well. Madison Fry also finished with five hits with all five of them being singles, proving to be a table setter at the top of the order. Morgan Hilty took the circle in both games with a start in game two. The junior pitched 3.2 innings in relief in game one while giving up one hit and fanning five. In game two, she pitched a complete game with just three hits to and three runs, adding five more strikeouts to her line.
 
 
What's Next
The Lakers return to the Mercyhurst Softball Field tomorrow, as they take on IUP in another PSAC double-header at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.