LATROBE, Pa. (March 21) – The Saint Vincent softball team opened its 2023 home slate with a non-conference doubleheader sweep of visiting Penn State-DuBois.
In the opener, freshman Kiley Meek threw a complete game two-hitter in a 4-1 Saint Vincent (6-4) win, before the Bearcat bats erupted for 13 hits and three home runs in an 11-5 victory over Penn State-DuBois (0-2) in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: Saint Vincent 4, Penn State-DuBois 1
In the day's first game, Haley Bicko's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth broke a 1-1 tie and proved to be the difference, while Meek was masterful in earning her third complete game win of the season.
Meek and PSU-DuBois hurler Kelsey Stuart traded zeroes into the third inning, before the Bearcat bats finally scratched across the day's first run when Olivia Persin walked, stole second, and scored on a Jessica LaPorte single with one out in the bottom of the third.
Meek retired the first 11 Lions in order and took a no-hitter into the top of the fifth before the Lion offense awakened. PSU-DuBois' Paige Pileta singled and Chelsea Busatto doubled to open the frame, before Pileta came home after Larissa James-Branche reached on an error. Meek would bear down and strike out the next Lion batter, before inducing a comebacker to the circle, where she cut down the lead run at the plate for the second out. She would then completely escape the jam with a flyball to center field to keep the score knotted at 1-1.
Persin got another rally started in the bottom of the fifth by drawing a leadoff walk and taking second on a wild pitch. Nicolette Kloes' single to left field put runners at the corner, and after a pair of groundouts, Bicko laced a single to center field to plate Kloes and Persin and give the Bearcats a 3-1 lead.
After Meek needed just five pitches for a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, SVC added an insurance tally in the bottom of the frame when Katie Muro, pinch-running for Rachel Mason who walked, scored on a two-out throwing error on a ball hit by LaPorte to make the score 4-1.
Meek then needed just three pitches to record the game's final three outs in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
LaPorte and Dillner each went 2-for-4 at the plate to pace the SVC offense, while Persin drew three walks and scored two runs.
Meek, who faced just three batters over the minimum, allowed one run on just two hits, with four strikeouts and zero walks. She recorded six flyouts and 11 groundouts, and threw just 88 pitches in the complete game.
GAME TWO: Saint Vincent 11, Penn State-DuBois 5
In the nightcap, the Lions wasted little time in gaining a lead, using two singles and a stolen base to go in front 1-0 in the top of the first.
Saint Vincent answered right back in the bottom half. Kloes drew a one-out walk and two batters later, Dillner cracked her second home run of the season, a towering blast to right-center, to give SVC a 2-1 lead.
PSU-DuBois countered with a pair of unearned runs on a two-out double by Madison Sitarek in the top of the second to jump in front 3-2, but SVC regained the lead for good in the bottom of the third.
Kloes, LaPorte and Dillner each singled to load the bases to open the third. An RBI groundout from Bicko brought home Kloes to tie the game at 3-3, before a Leah Yoder sacrifice fly plated LaPorte with the Bearcats' fourth run.
SVC then broke open the game with a big bottom of the fourth. Katelyn Stokan reached on an error to open the frame, before Persin drew a one-out walk. Kloes came through with another run-scoring single to open up a 5-3 lead, and then LaPorte smacked a no-doubt, three-run home run to left to open up an 8-3 SVC lead.
A two-run homer from PSU-DuBois' Catilyn Watson closed the gap to 8-5 in the top of the fifth, but the Bearcats put the game away for good in the bottom of the sixth.
Dillner took the first pitch of the sixth inning deep over the fence in left for her second homer of the game to give SVC a 9-5 lead. Bicko, Yoder and Kylee Cerminara then laced consecutive singles to load the bases, before Stokan drew a walk to plate Bicko with the Bearcats' 10th run. Two batters later, a ball hit by Emma Torretti was misplayed in the infield, allowing Yoder to score the game's final run.
Saint Vincent outhit PSU-DuBois 13-7 in the win, with seven different Bearcats finding the hit column. Dillner led the way, going 3-for-4, while Kloes finished 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored; LaPorte 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored; and Yoder and Bicko each 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Bicko earned the win in the circle, throwing 5.0 innings of relief and allowing two runs on just three hits with five strikeouts. Meghan Braun started and worked two innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with one K.
Saint Vincent will have a quick turnaround, as the Bearcats will be back in action on Wednesday, March 22, traveling to central Pennsylvania to face Juniata College in a 3 p.m., non-conference twinbill.
