NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (April 12) – The Saint Vincent softball team suffered its first two Presidents' Athletic Conferences defeats of the season, dropping both ends of a doubleheader at conference-leading Westminster College.
In the opener, Westminster (19-2, 6-0 PAC) kept the hot Saint Vincent (18-2, 6-2 PAC) bats in check, surrendering just two hits in a 2-0 win.
In the nightcap, the Bearcats bounced back by recording eight hits, but stranded eight runners on base in a 4-0 defeat.
Singles by
Leah Yoder and
Jessica LaPorte were the lone hits for the Bearcats in the game one loss, while the Titans racked four extra-base hits, breaking open a scoreless game with three runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth, before sealing with win with their final run in the sixth.
Olivia Bushore started in the circle and was saddled with her first loss of the season, working five innings and allowing five runs (thre earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts.
Westminster's Madison Brown earned the win in the circle for the Titans, throwing her fourth complete game shutout of the season.
Game two began as a pitcher's duel between SVC's
Haley Bicko and Westminster's Elizabeth Malczak, as the two teams combined for just five base runners and zero runs over the first three innings.
Saint Vincent looked to break through in the top of the fourth, with
Abbey Ginter,
Alexandra Dillner and Yoder each singling, but Malczak would escape the bases-loaded jam by inducing a lineout and a strikeout to preserve the shutout.
Westminster broke through with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth, before adding a single tally in the bottom of the sixth.
Saint Vincent looked to rally in the seventh, with
Meghan Braun and
Olivia Persin knocking back-to-back singles, but they would remain stranded as Malczak got a groundout to end the game.
Dillner and Braun each went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Bearcats, while Bicko was saddled with the loss in the circle, working six innings and allowing four runs on nine hits.
The Bearcats will be back in action on Thursday, April 14, playing host to PAC foe Washington & Jefferson in a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader.
