ABINGTON, Pa. – Neither Gabrielle Wolfe's (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge) lead-off homerun nor her strong outing inside the circle were enough to lead Penn State Harrisburg to victory in the first game of a doubleheader against Penn State Abington on Sunday, Apr. 7. In game number two however, the rest of the Blue & White squad followed Wolfe's lead offensively, putting up eight runs in a victory that snapped the Lions frustrating 13-game losing-streak.
In the first at-bat of the opener, Wolfe went yard to center field and gave the visitors an early 1-0 advantage.
Abington answered back in the bottom of the second inning, using two singles and an RBI double to tie things at one-apiece.
Harrisburg wasn't done though. In the top of the fifth, senior Danielle Ringel (McKees Rock, Pa. / Sto-Rox) reached base on an Abington error and the Lions would make the home team pay for its mistake. Freshman Sydney Eelman (Lititz, Pa. / Warwick) moved her to second base with a single to center field. A fly ball to center field by freshman Jennifer Bear (Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest) moved each lady up a base and sophomore Alli Trutt (Halifax, Pa. / Halifax) plated Ringel with an RBI groundout to shortstop.
The lead wouldn't hold, however, as the opposing Lions would add a run in both the bottom of the fifth and sixth stanzas. Harrisburg went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh and fell by slimmest of margins at 3-2.
Wolfe, senior captain Kara Boyd (Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley) and Eelman accounted for the visitors' three hits of the game. Wolfe threw six innings inside the circle, giving up eight hits, two hits and just two earned runs. She struck out an impressive nine Abington batters. Despite the strong performance, she is still looking for her first win of the year.
The nightcap saw a different story unfold. This time it was Penn State Abington that jumped out to an early lead thanks to three runs in the bottom of the second inning.
In the top of the next stanza, Harrisburg responded. Wolfe singled to left field to begin the inning and Boyd moved her along to second with a single of her own. Both ladies advanced on a wild pitch two batters later and sophomore Erika Love (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) doubled to left field and scored Wolfe. Junior Alisha House's (Crownpoint, N.M. / Thoreau) ensuing sacrifice fly to right field was deep enough to score Boyd and move Love to third base. The next batter, senior Kat Bernardi (Fredericksburg, Pa. / Northern Lebanon), tied the game at 3-3 when she singled to right field and plated Love.
The visitors eventually took the lead in the top of the fifth thanks to two Abington mistakes. After Boyd singled up the middle to start the inning, she advanced to second base on a wild pitch. After House reached on an error by the shortstop and Boyd took third, Bernardi recorded another RBI when her fielder's choice drove in Boyd to make it 4-3 Penn State Harrisburg.
But the home team had an answer. In the bottom of the sixth, Penn State Abington's Michaela Drogalis tied the game thanks to her solo home run to left center field. But unlike they were apt to do during their recent skid, Harrisburg's ladies didn't fold under the pressure. Instead, they thrived under it.
Boyd, the NCAA's 2011 triples per game statistical champion, led off the top of the final stanza with a three-bagger to right center. Freshman Rieley Loch (Madison Township, Pa. / North Pocono) followed it up with a clutch RBI double to left center and House's fielder's choice scored Loch from third two batters later to make it 6-4. Bernardi singled to right field and Bear moved the runners with a groundout to shortstop. Freshman Rachel Fisher (Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest) got into the scoring act with a single up the middle that plated fellow outfielders in pinch runner Jasmine Yanich (Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Township) and House.
Boyd shut down the opposing Lions and kept Abington from putting forth any sort of comeback effort in the bottom of the seventh.
Boyd pitched a complete seven-inning game in the finale, giving up six hits, four runs and five walks in addition to striking out two batters. Most importantly, she picked up her fourth win of the year on the rubber.
She was also stellar at the plate, going 4-4 with three runs scored. Loch was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Bernardi and Fisher each recorded two RBIs apiece. Penn State Harrisburg's offense turned in one of its better performances of the season with 11 hits, eight runs scored, three walks and just four strikeouts.
The victory did more than just end the team's losing-streak, it handed a ten-win Penn State Abington squad its first conference loss of the year. Penn State Harrisburg now sits at 4-16 on the season and 1-5 in NEAC play.
The Lions are next in action this Tuesday, Apr. 9 when they host Notre Dame of Maryland for a non-conference doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.