MIDDLETOWN, Pa.- Penn State Harrisburg picked up a win in the team's North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) opener, besting Penn State Berks 7-3 on Wednesday, Mar. 28 thanks to another gem from junior pitcher Kara Boyd (Alexandria, PA/Juniata Valley).  Freshman centerfielder Gabrielle Wolfe (New Milford, PA/Blue Ridge) helped out her ace in a big way at the plate, going 3-4 on the day with two doubles and a pair of RBIs.  Unfortunately, the blue and white bats went cold in the backend of the doubleheader and the ladies fell 3-0 in game two.

Wolfe got things going early in game one.  She led off the bottom of the first with one of her two doubles and scored two batters later when Boyd drove her in on a groundout.  Senior catcher Emily Pae (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna) walked to get on base, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored when junior third baseman Kristyan Gates (Hanover, PA/Hanover) launched the second Lion double of the inning.  Penn State Harrisburg quickly found itself with a two-run advantage.

Inside the circle, Boyd brought it all game long.  She pitched a complete seven-inning contest and worked a no-hitter through six.  Her impressive final line read two hits, two walks, zero earned runs and a tremendous ten strikeouts.  Her outstanding effort put an emphatic exclamation point on her third win of the season.

The Lions went back to work in the fourth.  Wolfe laced another double, this time scoring senior first baseman Brittany Kringer (Hazleton, PA/Hazleton) and sophomore right fielder Ashley Foltz (Mount Joy, PA/Elizabethtown).  Senior shortstop Paige Zechman (Robesania, PA/Conrad Weiser) followed it up by singling-in Wolfe and giving the blue and white a 5-0 lead.

After another quick top half from Boyd, Penn State Harrisburg added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Junior designated player Katherine Bernardi (Fredericksburg, PA/Northern Lebanon) doubled to start things off and Foltz singled to drive her in a few batters later.  Foltz eventually scored following a Wolfe single and ensuing throwing error by Berks' centerfielder Kaylie Vrabel (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood).

Two Penn State Harrisburg errors in the seventh led to three Berks runs, all of them unearned, but the Lions had the game well in hand by that point.

Gates finished the first outing 2-4 with an RBI as did Zechman.  Foltz finished the outing 1-2 with two runs scored while Boyd picked up an RBI as well.

The second game was a much different story.  The Lions managed to get runners on second and third but couldn't plate them in the bottom of the first. 

Berks took advantage of Penn State Harrisburg's missed opportunity in the third inning when the visitors managed a couple of runs to take the early 2-0 lead. 

The blue and white missed another golden opportunity in the bottom of the fourth when Gates led off with a triple.  Three batters later, Berks was out of the inning and the Lions were still scoreless.

Berks got one more run in the top of the sixth and Penn State Harrisburg never found its groove at the plate.

The Lions now sit at 5-13 on the year and 1-1 in NEAC play.  Boyd's pitching was one of the team's shining moments of 2012 and three ladies in Pae, Wolfe and Gates have eclipsed the .300 batting average mark.

Penn State Harrisburg will next be in action on Saturday, Mar. 31 when the team travels to Wilson for another conference doubleheader.  The Lions come home the next day to host Penn State Abington in their second NEAC double-dip of the weekend.