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LATROBE, Pa. (April 27) – A late home run by Alona Sleith lifted Saint Vincent to a 4-3 win over Bethany College in game one of the Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader.
Game two was suspended due to darkness after a lengthy lightning delay that lasted more than an hour. The Bearcats were holding a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning in the nightcap.
The Bison opened up an early lead in game one, taking advantage of an unearned run in the top of the first inning. That lead held up until the bottom of the fourth inning when Saint Vincent struck for three runs.
Shelby Noel led off the inning with a double and moved to third base when Alona Sleith delivered a one out single. Rachel Harenchar then singled to score Noel, tying the game at 1-1. Morgan Rittenhouse then gave Saint Vincent a 3-1 lead with a two-run single that was just out of the reach of a diving try by the Bethany right fielder.
The visitors tied the game at 3-3 with back-to-back run scoring doubles in the sixth inning. Saint Vincent did not waste any time in answering back, as Sleith led off the bottom of the frame with a solo home run, her 11th of the season, to left center field. Sleith then retired the side in the circle in the seventh inning to finish off the victory.
Noel, Sleith and Rittenhouse recorded two apiece in the game one win. Sleith earned the victory to move to 6-2 this season. The freshman tossed seven strong innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. Sleith struck out three and walked two.
In game two, Saint Vincent built a 4-0 lead after single runs in the first and second innings before posting two runs in the third inning. The Bison used a solo home run by Tyra Bell in the top of the fourth inning to get on the board, cutting the SVC advantage to 4-1.
That is when lightning struck and delayed the game at 6:10 p.m. The game did not resume until 7:43 p.m. Saint Vincent recorded the final three outs and the fourth before adding a run in the bottom of the frame. Then the umpires decided to call the game due to darkness with Saint Vincent three outs away from an official game.
Saint Vincent moves to 21-6 and 12-3 in PAC play. Bethany drops to 15-16 overall and 7-8 in league contests. There is no word of if/when the game two contest will be resumed between the Bearcats and Bison.
SVC is scheduled to travel to Westminster College for a PAC showdown with the Titans on Saturday, April 28. Start time is set for 1 p.m.
