MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – On a day that saw Penn State Harrisburg leave 16 ladies on base, including at least one runner in each inning of the team's second game against Stevenson on Sunday afternoon, Mar. 23, the Lions dropped a pair of non-conference games to the visiting Mustangs. The Blue & White fell 8-1 in the opener before dropping the nightcap 8-3.
In the first game, Stevenson got on the board early thanks to a leadoff single and a double that resulted in a 1-0 first inning advantage. The Lions left two runners on base in the bottom of the stanza, the first of many missed opportunities on the afternoon. Penn State Harrisburg loaded the bases in the bottom of the second but again failed to score any runs.
The Mustangs made them pay for their failure to cash in by scoring another run in the top of the fourth and two more in the top of the fifth inning.
Junior Gabrielle Wolfe (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge) got the Lions back into it in the bottom of the fifth when she hit her third home run of the year, a solo shot, over the left field fence, cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Stevenson answered back in the top of the sixth, scoring three more runs thanks to a Mustang home run. The visitors put it out of reach in the top of the seventh when they added one final insurance run.
Wolfe was 2-3 at the plate with a home run and a double, an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Rieley Loch (Madison Township, Pa. / North Pocono) and freshman Amanda Hartman (Reading, Pa. / Oley Valley) accounted for the only other Lion hits.
Game number two saw Stevenson again jump out to an early lead thanks to a leadoff home run by Kristen Mueller. The Mustangs added another first inning run and took a 2-0 advantage into the bottom of the second stanza.
Junior Mackenzie Trafka (Middletown, Pa. / Middletown Area) reached base and advanced to second thanks to a Stevenson error and freshman Kayla Seyfert (Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest) came through in the clutch and drove her in three batters later with a two-out single to left field.
The Mustangs added to their run total thanks to a Penn State Harrisburg wild pitch in the top of the third but the Lions responded in the bottom half of the frame. Following a Loch single, freshman Leah Palm (Hummelstown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin) singled to center field and advanced to third base following a defensive error. Loch hustled around the base path and scored from first base on the play, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
But Stevenson turned the momentum in its favor in the top of the fourth inning. The Mustangs took advantage of a Penn State Harrisburg error and scored four runs, all of which were unearned.
The Blue & White left two runners on base in each of the next two innings while the Mustangs added one more in the top of the seventh. Loch hit her third homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh but that's as close as the Lions would come.
Loch was 3-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Seyfert picked up an RBI and Trafka scored a run. Hartman threw the game's first four innings, surrendering seven hits but only three earned runs. Seyfert pitched the final three innings and allowed just two hits. The lone run scored during her time inside the circle was unearned. Seyfert has yet to surrender an earned run this season.
The loss dropped Penn State Harrisburg to 5-7 on the year. After winning five straight outings earlier this month, the ladies have dropped their last four games. The Lions will look to get back to their winning ways when they hit the road to take on Lancaster Bible on Tuesday afternoon, Mar. 24.
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