MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's 2013 playoff chances took a major hit on Saturday, Apr. 27 when the Lions dropped a pair of North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) games to division rival Penn State Abington. The ladies fell 1-0 in heartbreaking fashion in the opener of a doubleheader before bowing out 5-2 in game number two.
The Blue & White still have a slight possibility of earning a spot in the NEAC's championship tournament but no longer controls its own destiny. The Lions would need Penn State Abington to lose twice to Galladuet this weekend, the NEAC South Division basement-dwellers while Harrisburg has to win out.
Sophomore Gabrielle Wolfe (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge) threw a strong game inside the circle in game number one, giving up just three hits and striking out ten Abington batters but an unearned run was the difference while soon-to-be graduates Kara Boyd (Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley) and Danielle Ringel (McKees Rock, Pa. / Sto-Rox) were honored pregame during Penn State Harrisburg's Senior Day ceremonies.
The Lions managed just two hits in the opener; one a single, one a double and both courtesy of freshman Rieley Loch (Madison Township, Pa. / North Pocono).
Abington struggled at the plate as well but the visitors took advantage of three Penn State Harrisburg errors and managed to bring the game's lone run across the plate in the top of the fourth inning. The slim advantage held up the rest of the way and the opposing Lions extended their cushion over the home team in the NEAC South Division standings.
Wolfe hurled one of her best games of the season. She threw a complete seven inning game and allowed just three hits and two walks. She also struck out ten of the 29 Abington batters she faced.
Penn State Abington was the first team to score in the second game as well. The visitors got two runs in the top of the first stanza and added another in the top of second.
Harrisburg put a two-out rally together in the home half of the second when Boyd got things rolling with a single to left field. Loch stayed hot and also singled to left. Boyd took two bases on the play and Loch advanced to second on the throw. Sophomore Erika Love (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) followed it up with the team's third consecutive single and drove in Boyd and Loch to cut the deficit to just one run.
Abington answered right back in the top of the third, using two hits and two walks to pick up two more runs and stretch the lead back to three runs at 5-2.
The Blue & White managed three more base runners throughout the remainder of the contest but the team was unable to bring any more runs across the plate.
Loch went 2-3 from the plate with a run scored while Love was also 2-3 and notched two RBIs. Boyd went 1-4 with a run scored and Wolfe accounted for Harrisburg's lone extra-base hit with a double in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Boyd, the program's leader in career wins (26) and strikeouts (312), pitched a complete seven inning outing, giving up six hits and three earned runs while recording six strikeouts.
The pair of losses put Penn State Harrisburg's playoff chances in serious jeopardy. The Lions fell to 15-23 overall and 8-10 in NEAC play. The ladies postseason future hangs on a possible sweep over Wilson tomorrow afternoon and an upset of Abington by last-place Gallaudet in the teams' doubleheader finale.