Softball Win Streak Hits Seven in Senior Day Sweep of Hilbert
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona softball celebrated its three senior players on Sunday afternoon at Stewart Athletic Field by posting a doubleheader sweep of Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Hilbert College, extending the Lions' win streak to seven.
Penn State Altoona (13-8, 7-1 AMCC) pulled ahead late in game one to record a 3-1 win, then used a seven-run, 13-hit performance in game two to overpower Hilbert (2-16-1, 0-6 AMCC) by a final score of 7-3.
Between games, the Lions recognized seniors Jayde Burge (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola), Kristen Hewitt (Coalport, PA/Glendale), and Makenzie Lukehart (Utahville, PA/Glendale) on their collegiate softball careers as part of the team's Senior Day ceremonies.
Game One: Penn State Altoona 3, Hilbert 1
Each team scored a run in the first inning, and the game remained tied until Penn State Altoona put two on the board in the bottom of the sixth to nab the lead and ultimately the win.
Casey Reese (Cresson, PA/Penn Cambria) made a strong start in the pitching circle for the Lions, tossing a complete game to pick up her sixth win of the season. In seven innings, the right-hander allowed just one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters.
Offensively, Penn State Altoona was held to just three hits, with Cameryn Feathers (Martinsburg, PA/Central), Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County), and Olivia Smith (Martinsburg, PA/Central) collecting one hit apiece.
Hilbert scored a run in the top of the first inning when Katie Barone led off with a walk and later scored on Makenna Smith's triple down the right field line.
Penn State Altoona responded with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score 1-1. Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) was on base after having reached on a fielder's choice, and Feathers singled up the middle to put two runners aboard. On the play, an outfield fielding error allowed Fisher to round third base and score, putting the Lions on the board.
Both teams put up zeroes until the bottom of the sixth, when Penn State Altoona capitalized on a key Hilbert error to pull ahead. With Brooke Colledge (Everett, PA/Everett) at second base, Hewitt put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third, and a throwing error on the play allowed Colledge to score to make it 2-1. Later in the inning, Hewitt stole home to tack another run on to the home team's total.
Hilbert brought the potential tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Reese induced a pop out and got a strikeout to end the inning and ice the victory.
Game Two: Penn State Altoona 7, Hilbert 3
The Lions' bats were more productive in game two, while the team continued to receive strong pitching.
Four different Lion hitters finished with two hits apiece. Hewitt went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored, and Fisher hit 2-for-3 with a double. Brooke Boonie (Petersburg, PA/Juniata Valley) was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base, and Lukehart went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Burge drove in two runs, while Colledge, Feathers, and Madison Lucas (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) had one RBI each.
Fisher started in the circle and pitched 5 1/3 innings to notch her seventh win of the season, allowing only one run, one hit, and one walk. Lukehart tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief to finish the game.
Penn State Altoona jumped on the Hawks early, getting three runs across in the bottom of the second inning. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, Colledge hit an infield single to shortstop to drive in Boonie from third. The next batter, Burge, followed with a two-run single to left that plated Hewitt and Colledge to make it 3-0.
The Lions picked up a run in the bottom of the fourth, when Lukehart led off with a base hit to center and came around to later to score on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Feathers reached on a leadoff single and later scored on a fielding error to increase Penn State Altoona's lead to 5-0.
Hilbert got on the board in the top of the sixth and scored three runs to narrow its deficit to two. Bailey Budziszewski's RBI single to center made it 5-1, and Victoria Grayson hit into a fielder's choice to plate the Hawks' second run. Hannah Coken followed that with an RBI single to right, cutting the Lions' lead to 5-3.
But Penn State Altoona got two runs back in the bottom half of the sixth. Chloe Kramer (Willow Grove, PA/Upper Moreland) reached on an error to start the inning, then later scored on Feathers' sacrifice fly to center. Lucas' RBI groundout to third allowed Smith to score from third base on the next play, boosting the home team's lead to 7-3 and closing the scoring for the game.
Penn State Altoona softball will look to keep its seven-game winning streak alive tomorrow, Monday, April 25, when the Lions return to action for a road doubleheader at AMCC opponent La Roche University. Game one first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
