Myrtle Beach, SC. – Penn State Harrisburg Softball split its season opening doubleheader, defeating Lehman College in game one and falling to Eastern Mennonite in game two. The Lions got an excellent performances in game one from Seniors Erelle Sowers and Emily Parmer who were combined 9 for 9 and drove in six runs. Freshman Kaylee DeMatteo led the Lions in game two, crushing a double to center field.
Penn State Harrisburg 20 vs. Lehman 0
Penn State Harrisburg 0 vs. Eastern Mennonite 9
Records:
Penn State Harrisburg: 1-1 Overall
Lehman: 2-3 Overall
Eastern Mennonite: 3-3 Overall
How it Happened:
Penn State Harrisburg got off to a strong start, striking in the first inning of game one against Lehman College. After Nina Bruno and Erelle Sowers reached base via singles, Ali Hartman blasted another single to drive in Bruno. Emily Parmer would blast a triple into the right center field gap, driving Hartman. Kristen Evans would drive in the final run of the inning, taking a 4-0 lead.
The Lions got an excellent pitching effort from Erelle Sowers who would hold the Lighting Bugs to just one hit while striking out five. The Lions defense was sharp in the first inning, using a double play to eliminate an early Lighting Bugs threat.
The offense would continue to produce, with Sowers and Hartman driving in a run each in the second inning. Harrisburg would take complete control in the third inning. With a runner on third, Mariah DeHaseth would deliver a slap that fell in front of the center fielder scoring Carlee Gochenaur. After Bruno reached base, Katie Humphrey drove a ball in center field driving in two runs. The Lions would load the bases for Parmer, who blast a bases clearing double to center field. Gochenaur would later drive in Parmer putting Harrisburg ahead 13-0.
The Lions would score five more in the fourth inning with Jess Roelli doubling to right field driving in two runs. Jozelyn Diaz, Sierra Dixon, and Nicole Ditzler all drove in runs building the advantage to 18. Parmer and Diaz would deliver two more RBI's in the fifth completing the 20-0 victory.
After a short break, the Lions faced Eastern Mennonite in game two. The Lions offense struggled to find gaps to the Royals defense, despite several hard hit balls. Kaylee DeMatteo would record a double in the second inning, giving the Lions its best scoring opportunity of the game. The Royals would strike in third inning building an advantage the Lions could not recover from.
Inside The Stats:
Game 1
Winning Pitcher: PSH- Erelle Sowers
Losing Pitcher: Lehman- Tiffany Adames
Hits: Penn State Harrisburg (23) vs. Lehman (1)
Errors: Penn State Harrisburg (1) vs. Lehman (3)
Game 2
Winning Pitcher: EMU- Sydney Reath
Losing Pitcher: PSH- Ali Hartman
Hits: Penn State Harrisburg (1) vs. Eastern Mennonite (15)
Errors: Penn State Harrisburg (1) vs. Eastern Mennonite (0)
Impact Performance:
Game 1
Emily Parmer- 5-5, 3B, 2 2B, and 5 RBI's
Erelle Sowers- 4-4 and RBI
Game 2
Kaylee DeMatteo 1-2, 2B
What's Next:
The Lions will be back in action tomorrow, March 4th against Medaille College and Chatham University at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM Follow Penn State Harrisburg all season long on social media with the following handles and hashtags:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/PSHbgSoftball
Instagram - www.instagram.com/pennstatehbgathletics
Facebook - www.facebook.com/pennstatehbgathletics