MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's softball team picked up a pair of hard-fought victories over Keystone in doubleheader action at Courtney Pollock Memorial Field on Friday afternoon, March 22. The Lions took game one with a 5-2 decision before Olivia Herncane's walk-off triple secured a 5-4 win in the finale. 

GAME 1

After Keystone (2-7) erased a 2-0 deficit with a pair of runs across the fifth and sixth innings, Penn State Harrisburg (8-3) plated three in the bottom of the sixth to hold on for the win in the first of two outings on Friday. 

Lauren Hess led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk and Madelyn Lehigh moved her into scoring position with a single through the left side before both runners moved up a base thanks to a passed ball. Cara Biesecker came through with a single of her own that drove in Hess before Emma Einarson added some much-needed insurance with a two-out double to left field that brought in Lehigh and Biesecker to make it 5-2.

Mackenzie Sawdey held things down inside the circle, earning the win after striking out nine batters and allowing just five hits. 

The Lions struck first when an error allowed Sierra Sims to score the game's initial run in the bottom of the second. Mackenzie Fisher doubled the advantage two at-bats later with an RBI single to left field that scored Aspen Walker from third. 

GAME 2

Olivia Herncane's late-game heroics continued with a three-run walk-off triple in the bottom of the seventh inning that clinched the doubleheader sweep for Penn State Harrisburg (9-3). 

After the Giants (2-8) scored two runs in the top of the seventh, the Lions showed their resilience when facing their final three outs as Madelyn Lehigh led off the bottom half with a double to left center before Aspen Walker singled through the right side to put runners on the corners. Cara Biesecker used an infield single to load the bases and Herncane laced a ball over the head of Isabella Mandarano in right field that cleared them all and sealed the thrilling victory. 

Keystone struck first with a run in the top of the first but Lehigh tied things up in the bottom half when she roped a ball through the right side that rolled all the way to the fence, allowing her to race around the bases and end up where she started with an inside-the-park home run. 

The visitors retook the lead in the top of the third but again the Lions had the answer, as a double from Walker drove in Lehigh after the latter led off the stanza with a triple down the right field line. 

NOTABLES

- Einarson was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in the opener.

- Lehigh went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in game one.

- Fisher and Walker also had multi-hit openers.

- Sawdey improved to 6-0 on the season after earning the win in the first outing, striking out nine and allowing just five hits. 

- Lehigh finished a single shy of the cycle in the second game, going 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI.

- Walker was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in game two.

- Biesecker finished 2-for-3 with a run in the second outing.

- Carissa Yeager earned her first win of the spring inside the circle in the nightcap, throwing a complete game and tallying five strikeouts. She also went 2-for-3 with a double at the plate.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions host Elizabethtown for another non-conference doubleheader on Monday afternoon.

STAY CONNECTED 

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.