OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Penn State Harrisburg took to the road on Sunday, Mar. 24 for an afternoon doubleheader against Stevenson. Unfortunately for the Blue & White, the Mustangs offense got going early and often, spelling doom for the Lions in both outings. The ladies fell to the home team 8-2 in the opener and 7-1 in the finale.
Game number one saw Harrisburg load the bases in the top of the first before failing to score. The Lions put a player in scoring position in the top of the second as well but again could not bring her in. These missed opportunities proved costly in the end.
In the bottom of the third, the Blue & White got two quick outs but the Mustangs put together a two-out rally that included a three-run home run and resulted in three hits and a 4-0 Stevenson lead.
Penn State Harrisburg fought back in the top of the fourth. Senior Kat Bernardi (Fredericksburg, Pa. / Northern Lebanon) singled to begin the stanza and sophomore Alli Trutt (Halifax, Pa. / Halifax) took over for her on the base path. Freshman Sydney Eelman (Lititz, Pa. / Warwick) singled to move Trutt to second and freshman Jennifer Bear (Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest) walked to load the bases. Freshman Jasmine Yanich (Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Township) walked to pick up her first RBI of the year and senior captain Kara Boyd's (Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley) ensuing sacrifice fly plated Eelman to cut the deficit in half.
Stevenson bumped its lead up in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a run scored on a wild pitch. The Mustangs got two more in the fifth, both unearned, when a costly Harrisburg error allowed a run to score from first on one play and a single plated a runner on third on the next.
The Lions' offense stalled in its final attempts as 11 Harrisburg batters managed just one hit over a three-inning span. The visitors left nine runners on base in the first contest including five in the first two innings alone.
Boyd got the start inside the circle, allowing eight hits and six earned runs. She struck out two Stevenson batters. She went 1-4 from the plate.
Eelman and Bernardi were 1-3 at the plate and Eelman scored a run. Bear was 1-2 with a walk and Yanich went 1-1 with two walks and the squad's lone RBI.
The Lions got off to a good start in the day's late game but Stevenson's start was even better. Harrisburg got on the board quickly in the top of the first when Boyd led off with a triple and sophomore captain Gabrielle Wolfe (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge) drove her in with a sacrifice fly two batters later.
However, the home team busted the game open by scoring five runs, three of which were unearned, in the bottom half of the inning. Two Penn State Harrisburg errors helped give the Mustangs an advantage they never surrendered.
Another Blue & White error in the bottom of the second led to two more runs for Stevenson. Just like that the scoreboard read 7-1 Mustangs.
The Lions struggled to get going offensively and went down 1-2-3 in the second, third and fifth innings. The visitors recorded seven hits but none came at an opportune moment and Harrisburg was shut out the rest of the way.
Boyd was 2-3 and scored the team's only run. Bernardi also went 2-3 from the plate. Trutt, sophomore Erika Love (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) and senior Danielle Ringel (McKees Rock, Pa. / Sto-Rox) went 1-3 offensively. Wolfe notched the only RBI while Yanich worked two more walks.
Wolfe pitched all six innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs although only three were earned. She also struck out a game-high six batters.
The losses dropped Penn State Harrisburg to 3-11 on the year. The Lions now find themselves in the middle of a tough eight-game losing-streak. They will look to end their recent skid when they travel to Valley Forge Christian for another doubleheader on Wednesday, Mar. 27.