ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst softball team hosted Stonehill for a doubleheader this afternoon. The Lakers took an early lead in the first game, lost the lead, and then
Jazlynn Sanders hit a three-run homerun to reclaim it. They went on to win game one, 5-3. The Skyhawks ran away with the game in game two and won, 12-5 to solidify the split.
Mercyhurst (4-18, 3-4 NEC) and
Gabriella DeLuca held Stonehill (4-24, 1-6 NEC) to a deadlock for the first several innings. The Lakers began the scoring in the third frame when
Alexandra Acosta-Reyes walked and later scored on an RBI double by
Emelie Pascual for the lead.
In the fifth inning, the Skyhawks briefly took the lead with three runs, including an RBI single. A pivotal rally by the Lakers followed. Pascual singled, and, after a walk by
Bailey Cannon,
Braylynn Kelly hit an RBI ground-rule double. Sanders then delivered a three-run blast with two runners on base to give the Lakers a 5-3 lead.
They maintained their lead through the final innings with Cannon coming in to preserve things from the circle. The Lakers took game one, 5-3.
Mercyhurst (4-19, 3-5 NEC) opened the second game strong, scoring twice in the first inning.
Karlie Kasten singled, advanced on a passed ball, and scored on Pascual's double. Pascual then scored on a single by DeLuca, bringing the score to two. In the second inning, the Lakers extended their lead three. Acosta-Reyes doubled and scored on Cannon's groundout.
Stonehill (5-24, 2-6 NEC) fought back in the third frame, scoring three runs to tie the game. However, the Lakers responded with a run of its own when
Mia Zubovic doubled, driving in DeLuca, making it 4-3 and reclaiming their lead.
The fourth inning saw the Skyhawks take the lead with three runs, bringing the score to 6-4. MU then narrowed the gap again as Cannon scored on
Jazlynn Sanders' single, ending the inning at 6–5.
Stonehill added two more runs in the fifth, increasing its lead to 8-5. Mercyhurst was unable to score in its half of the inning. The sixth inning was scoreless for both teams as the defense showed up big time. In the final inning, Stonehill secured its victory with four additional runs, concluding the game with a decisive 12-5 win .
Game three will now take place at 11 a.m. tomorrow instead of noon as originally scheduled. This is due to inclement weather projected in Erie.