MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg played an outstanding opening game against Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) opponent Mary Washington on Thursday afternoon, Apr. 10. Locked in a defensive struggle, the visiting Eagles did just enough to escape with a 1-0 victory. In the second outing of the doubleheader, the Lions fell behind during the middle innings before their offense burst to life in the final two stanzas. Unfortunately, the late rally was too little too late and the ladies fell 7-3 in the nightcap.
Sophomore Rieley Loch (Madison Township, Pa. / North Pocono) led the way with two RBIs on the day while junior Gabby Wolfe (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge) went 4-8 on the afternoon, including a 3-4 performance in the second game. Kayla Seyfert (Lebanon, Pa. / Cedar Crest) continued her stellar freshman season by pitching five total innings and allowing just one run. She also added the team's lone extra-base hit of the opener; a double to left center field.
Seyfert's two-bagger in the bottom of the third provided the ladies their best scoring chance of game one. Despite three more hits and a walk over the course of the contest, the Lions failed to bring anyone across the plate.
After being stymied by starting pitcher Amanda Hartman (Reading, Pa. / Oley Valley) for five innings, Mary Washington finally put something together in the top of the sixth. The Eagles used three hits to score one run; the run that proved the difference in the end.
Hartman was outstanding. The freshman threw six quality innings and allowed just five hits and one run in addition to striking out two Eagle batters. She also accounted for one of the Lions' four hits, as did Wolfe, Loch and Seyfert.
The Blue & White bats came to life late in the second outing as the team's 2-9 hitters accounted for at least one of the team's ten hits. It just so happened that the Eagles also go the bats going and this time around they didn't wait until crunch time to do so.
Mary Washington used four hits to score three runs in the top of the second and four more hits to add four more runs to its total in the top of the fourth. Penn State Harrisburg had something rolling in the bottom of the third when Hartman led off the inning with a double to right field. Junior Mackenzie Trafka (Middletown, Pa. / Middletown Area) moved her to third with a single up the middle before stealing second base just moments later. The Eagle defense clamped down from there, however, and the Lions were left empty handed when the frame ended.
The home team finally put it all together in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Leah Palm (Hummelstown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin) used a one-out walk to get things started. Wolfe singled through the left side to mover her along to second base. Loch followed it up by lacing a double to left center field that scored both runners and cut the deficit to 7-2. An Erika Love (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) groundout moved Loch to third base and sophomore Jackie Furch (Hallstead, Pa. / Blue Ridge) drove her in with a single up the middle.
Trailing 7-3 in the bottom of the seventh and with two ladies down, Palm singled to keep the Lions alive. Wolfe got her into scoring position by singling to right field. Loch launched a ball deep into right field but the Eagles' right fielder made a tough play and snared the ball to stall the Blue & White's push and end the game.
With the defeats, Penn State Harrisburg fell to 6-16 overall and 1-9 in CAC play. The Lions have just two home dates left on their 2014 schedule. Their next outing comes this Saturday, Apr. 12 when the ladies host Southern Virginia in another doubleheader matchup.
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