MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – After falling to North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) foe St. Elizabeth 6-2 in the opening game of a doubleheader on Sunday, Apr. 14, Penn State Harrisburg used a big first inning and big last inning to win the finale 10-6 in front of the Blue & White's hometown crowd.
The Screaming Eagles got home runs from Madellyn Rodriguez and Kelly O'Dell and the Lions left nine runners on base, seven of whom were stranded in scoring position. That failure to score runs at opportune moments spelled doom for the home team.
Harrisburg got a run in the bottom of the first when sophomore Erika Love (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) singled to center field and scored fellow sophomore Gabrielle Wolfe (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge).
Love picked up her second RBI of game number one when her sacrifice fly to center field plated senior Kara Boyd (Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley) in the bottom of the third.
Wolfe went all seven innings inside the circle, giving up six runs and six hits to go along with her five strikeouts. Love was 2-3 from the plate with two RBIs while Wolfe went 2-4 with a run scored. Boyd was 1-3 offensively and scored a run.
The nightcap didn't start much better for the Blue & White as St. Elizabeth got four runs in the top of the first inning thanks to three Harrisburg errors.
The difference this time around, however, was the Lions' ability to answer back. Wolfe led off the bottom of the first with a single and Boyd moved her to second with a single up the middle. Freshman Rieley Loch (Madison Township, Pa. / North Pocono) notched a base hit to left field and Love used a bases-loaded walk to get the home team on the board. Freshman Sydney Eelman (Lititz, Pa. / Warwick) followed her by singling down the left field line and driving in both Boyd and Loch. Junior Alisha House (Crownpoint, N.M. / Thoreau) singled up the middle to plate Love and freshman Jasmine Yanich (Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Township) picked up an RBI when her bases loaded walk gave the Lions their first lead of the day at 5-4. Freshman Jennifer Bear (Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest) worked the third bases loaded walk of the inning, scoring senior Danielle Ringel (McKees Rock, Pa. / Sto-Rox) giving Harrisburg a two-run advantage with one stanza in the books.
The Screaming Eagles cut the deficit in half in the top of the second when Noelle Grande launched a solo shot to left field. St. Elizabeth tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the third and the scored remained tied for the next three innings.
Then the Lions put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth. Wolfe singled up the middle and Harrisburg caught a break when Boyd reached base on a St. Elizabeth error. Wolfe scored from first on the play and grabbed the lead back for the Blue & White. Love singled through the left side two batters later, scoring Boyd and upping the advantage to 8-6. Eelman put one through the left side of the infield and Loch scored from third. Ringel capped the scoring when her base hit to center field plated sophomore Alli Trutt (Halifax, Pa. / Halifax) and made it 10-6 Penn State Harrisburg.
Boyd pitched a complete seven-inning game, allowing five hits and just two earned runs in addition to her nine strikeouts. Wolfe and Eelman both went 2-4. Wolfe scored twice and Eelman recorded a game-high three RBIs. Boyd and Loch scored two runs each and Love added two RBIs.
After the split, Penn State Harrisburg now sits 9-17 on the year and 4-6 in league play, good enough to put the Lions fourth in the NEAC's South Division. The ladies will play their third game in as many days when they host Juniata for a non-conference doubleheader on Monday afternoon, Apr. 15.