WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's softball dropped a pair of close contests to Penn College in each squad's United East opener on Wednesday afternoon, March 27. The Lions led for much of the opener before the home team walked it off 5-4. The Wildcats completed the doubleheader sweep with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap. 

GAME 1

Penn State Harrisburg (10-5, 0-1 United East) led into the sixth inning and again in the seventh but couldn't hold on in a 5-4 loss to Penn College (9-4, 1-0 United East) in the opening game on Monday's conference doubleheader. 

The Lions took advantage of a pair of errors in the top of the second inning and struck first when Lauren Hess put a ball in play, allowing Rylee Martinez and Sierra Sims to come across thanks to a defensive miscue. 

The Wildcats used a lead-off walk and a two-out double to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth before drawing even with another two-out RBI double in the following stanza. 

The visitors put together a two-out rally of their own in the top of the seventh and used four hits to score two runs and reclaim the lead thanks to a Mackenzie Fisher infield single that plated Lilly Feltenberger and an Aspen Walker base knock that drove in Fisher two at-bats later. 

An error and a walk came back to bite the Lions in the seventh, however, and a fielder's choice loaded up the bases with only one away before the Wildcats used a bases-clearing triple to walk it off and steal the game-one win.

GAME 2

Penn College (10-4, 2-0 United East) won a pitcher's duel 3-1 to take game two and earn the doubleheader sweep of Penn State Harrisburg (10-6, 0-2 United East) in Wednesday's final contest.  

For the second time in as many outings, the Lions took advantage of a Penn College error to tally the game first run in the top of the second inning. After Lilly Feltenberger walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch, Elaina Gates put a ball in play that was mishandled by the shortstop, allowing Feltenberger to trot home and give the visitors the early lead. 

After Carissa Yeager kept the home team off balance during the early innings, the Wildcats finally got the bats going in the fifth with three runs on four hits, including a two-RBI double and RBI single with two outs. 

Feltenberger tripled in the top of the sixth but the Lions were unable to score her in their best opportunity to answer back the rest of the way.

NOTABLES

- Feltenberger was the lone Penn State Harrisburg player with a multi-hit effort in the opener, finishing 3-for-3 with a run scored. 

- Feltenberger also went 1-for-1 with a triple, a pair of walks, and a run scored in game two. 

- Kierstyn Smith threw 1.1 scoreless innings of relief and registered one strikeout in the nightcap.

- The Lions managed just four hits in the second contest.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions will try to bounce back when they travel to Gallaudet for another conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

STAY CONNECTED 

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