MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's softball team finished its first day of play in Myrtle Beach, SC by fighting back not once, but twice, and besting Eastern 4-3 to pick up its first win of the season on Monday, Mar. 5.  After trailing in both the sixth and seventh innings, the Lions used a two-out rally in the final stanza to pull off the dramatic victory.

Kara Boyd (Alexandria, PA/Juniata Valley) was strong on the mound in her first start of the year.  The junior threw a complete game, giving up six hits and just one earned run while racking up six strikeouts.   

The blue and white got on the board first when freshman Gabrielle Wolfe (New Milford, PA/Blue Ridge) scored the first run of her college career on a Breanna Green (Turtlepoint, PA/Port Allegany) single in the bottom of the second inning.

The Eagles tied it up in the top of the third when Jessica Baker (Salisbury, MD/Salisbury Christian) scored following a blue and white error and a pitcher's duel ensued.  Boyd allowed a lone single in the fourth while Eastern's Maggie McGowan (Phoenixville, PA/Villa Maria Academy) kept Penn State Harrisburg hitless for three straight innings.

Eastern finally broke the scoreless drought and took its first lead of the game in the top of the sixth when Tori Jacobsen's (Redmond, WA/Lake Washington) single brought in Samantha Fichter (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) to make it 2-1 Eagles.

Faced with adversity, the ladies answered back.  Boyd, last season's NCAA Division III triples per game champion, led off the bottom half of the stanza with a clutch three-bagger and senior Emily Pae (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna) brought her in with a single two batters later.

The Eagles refused to roll over and in the top of the seventh scored the go-ahead run when Jaimie Schwartz (Souderton, PA/Souderton) walked with the bases loaded, bringing in Jaclyn Gangemi (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional) to make it 3-2.

Trailing for the second time in as many innings, the Lions faced a do-or-die situation and came up huge when it mattered most.  Junior transfer Kristyan Gates (Hanover, PA/Hanover) started things off with a single and Green's ensuing sacrifice moved her along to second base.

Boyd stepped to the plate two batters later, and with her squad down to its last out, delivered in the clutch once more.  After fouling off a handful of pitches, she laced a double to right center and scored Gates to knot things up at three.

Senior Paige Zechman (Robesania, PA/Conrad Weiser) capped off the comeback victory by hitting a hard ground ball to the right side that Gangemi mishandled.  Boyd raced around the third base bag and crossed the plate, sealing win number one for the Lions.

Boyd was 2-4 on the afternoon with two hits and an RBI to go along with her strong outing inside the circle.  Penn State Harrisburg's defense was solid as well as Pae and junior Danielle Ringel (McKees Rock, PA/Sto-Rox) made great plays in the outfield that robbed Eastern of runs in the contest's late innings.

Penn State Harrisburg dropped an early game to King's on Monday before bouncing back nicely against Eastern.  The ladies sit at 1-1 overall and have six games remaining on their spring break schedule.