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The SVC softball team remained undefeated in Presidents' Athletic Conference play with a 7-3, 7-5 doubleheader sweep over visiting Waynesburg Yellow Jackets.
In game one, Saint Vincent got on the board in the bottom of the second.
Alona Sleith singled down the right field line to lead off, then moved to second on a
Shae Robson sacrifice bunt.
Sydney Gurneal followed with a high fly ball to left that was dropped, allowing her to reach second while Sleith stopped at third.
Kelly Flaherty followed with an RBI single to right that made it 1-0.
Kaylee Ludwick then singled home Gurneal to make it 2-0.
In the fourth, the Bearcats threatened to add to the lead when Robson led off with a triple to the gap in right center field. However, she was thrown out at the plate on a grounder off the bat of Gurneal, keeping it a two-run game.
In the top of the fifth, Waynesburg's first two batters singled, then doubled, putting runners at second and third. A groundout with the infield drawn in was good for the first out, holding the runners, then SVC's
Celia Knappenberger got the next batter to pop out. However, the next batter hit a sharp line drive back at Knappenberger, and it caromed off her glove, resulting in an infield single that brought home both runners, tying the game.
SVC answered quickly, as
Johnna Karas led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, and
Kelsey Tobin bunted her to second.
Lauren Miller followed with a line drive single to center to move Karas to third with just one out. Sleith walked to load the bases, and after the second out,
Sydney Gurneal tripled to right center, clearing the bases and giving SVC a 5-2 lead. Flaherty then singled home Gurneal to make it a 4-run SVC lead.
The Bearcats added an insurance run in the 7th on an RBI single by Sleith.
Knappenberger did the rest, going the distance to improve her record to 9-2 on the season. She gave up just two earned runs and struck out two. Offensively, Flaherty went 3-for-3, while Miller and Sleith had two hits each.
In game two, the Bearcats struck quickly, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning. Karas led off with a single, then Tobin's sacrifice bunt attempt resulted in an error that put runners at second and third. Miller's sacrifice fly brought home Karas and moved Tobin to third, and Robson later singled home Tobin to make it 2-0. A single by Gurneal scored the third run of the inning.
An inning later, Ludwick led off with a single, then was replaced at first by Abby Ginter, who grounded into a fielder's choice. Karas followed with a run-scoring double, and the lead increased to 5-0 when Tobin singled home Karas.
In the top of the fourth, Waynesburg started the inning with five straight hits, chasing SVC starter
Riley Assalone with three runs in and a pair of runners on base. After a walk loaded the bases, a run scored on an error, making the score 5-4, reliever
Erica Smiley got the next two batters to pop out, then Karas snared a high line drive for the third out to end the inning.
The visitors threatened in the fifth, but a pair of solid defensively plays by the Bearcats kept them off the board. With a runner at first, the Waynesburg batter laid down a perfect bunt for an infield single, but Gurneal threw to second and picked off the runner that had made a turn after reaching the base. Then SVC catcher Ludwick picked off the runner at first to end the inning.
With two out in the bottom of the fifth, Tobin hit a double to right center. Pinch runner
Megan Christner then scored on a single by Miller, putting the Bearcats in front, 6-4. Sleith then doubled to the fence in left center to bring home Miller with SVC's 7th run of the game.
In the top of the 7th, Waynesburg put two runners on base with one-out singles, and Knappenberger came on in relief to try to end the game. After a walk loaded the bases, a groundout brought home a run but brought the Jackets down to their last opportunity. Knappenberger got the batter to ground out to end the game, for her third save of the season.
Smiley (6-1) picked up the win, while Miller, Sleith and Robson each had three hits as part of SVC's 17-hit attack.
The Bearcats are now 18-6 overall, 6-0 in the PAC. Waynesburg drops to 6-16, 2-4 in the conference.