MEADVILLE, Pa. (April 19) – In a battle of two of the Presidents' Athletic Conference softball heavyweights, Saint Vincent earned a split at Allegheny College, recovering from a 6-1 loss in the opener to blank the Gators by a 2-0 score in the nightcap.
The split moves SVC's overall record to 21-9 and conference mark to 11-3, placing them in a three-way tie for first in the PAC. The Gators now fall a half-game behind SVC in the PAC standings with a 12-4 conference mark, while their overall record stands at 22-8.
GAME ONE: Allegheny 6, Saint Vincent 1
Saint Vincent got on the board first in the opener, plating their run in the top of the second. With one out,
Allie Prady drew a walk, and following a strikeout,
Katelyn Stokan also reached on a free pass to put runners at first and second.
Katie Lampe would follow with an opposite-field single to right field to bring home Prady with the game's first run.
The Gators would strike back with four runs in the bottom of the third, sending eight batters to the plate and recording two walks, a single, a double and a triple to open up the three-run lead.
Saint Vincent produce baserunners in each of the next two frames, with singles from Stokan in the third and
Nicolette Kloes in the fourth, but were unable to cut into the Allegheny lead.
The Gators would then put the game away with two runs on one hit, two walks and an error in the bottom of the fifth to go up 6-1.
Saint Vincent looked to rally in the top of the seventh. Lampe led off with a walk, but was erased on a fielder's choice off of the bat of
Olivia Persin. Jessica Laporte would then single to put runners at first and third, before
Alex Dillner reached on an error, loading the bases with one out. Allegheny starter Aleya Belardinelli would escape the jam, however, by ending the game with a pair of flyball outs to seal the victory.
Each team managed only five hits, with LaPorte, Dillner, Kloes, Stokan and Lampe finding the hit column for the Bearcats. Prady, Lampe and Stokan each added walks to reach base safely twice.
Haley Bicko started in the circle for SVC and took the loss, working 3.0 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
Meghan Braun threw the final three frames, allowing two runs on just one hit, with two strikeouts.
GAME TWO: SVC 2, Allegheny 0
Saint Vincent sophomore
Olivia Bushore prevailed in another pitcher's duel, earning her fifth straight win by firing a three-hitter in her third complete game shutout of the season.
Allegheny starter Samantha Dzierba was nearly as effective, allowing just four hits, but the Bearcats scratched across two late runs to earn the low-scoring win.
Bushore and Dzierba traded zeroes over the first four innings. Prady produced the only hit over the span with a second-inning single, while Bushore held the Gators hitless through four frames.
Prady opened the top of the fifth with a line drive single to left, before Bicko followed by reaching on a base-hit, with Prady racing all the way to third after the throw sailed wide of first base. Prady then gave way to pinch runner
Emma Torretti. On the ensuing pitch, Bicko took off for second base and got caught in a brief rundown, drawing another errant throw that went wide of the bag and allowed Torretti to scamper home with the game's first run. Two batters later, Persin laced a two-out, full-count single to center to plate Bicko and give SVC a 2-0 lead.
After Bushore surrendered her first hit on a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, she was forced to pitch out of a jam to preserve the lead, as the Gators led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Prady then came through with the defensive play of the game, making a running catch on a fly ball to right field and then throwing out the Allegheny runner trying to advance at third base for the double play. Bushore would then close the frame by getting an inning-ending popup.
The Gators opened the bottom of the seventh by reaching on an error, but Bushore got a pair of flyouts and a lineout to Persin at shortstop to end the game.
In 7.0 shutout innings, Bushore allowed just three hits and two walks, while striking out six. In her past eight outings covering 40 innings pitched, she has four complete game victories and has surrendered just 27 hits with 36 strikeouts, while posting an ERA of 0.88.
Prady went 2-for-3 to lead the SVC offense, with Persin and Bicko each adding singles.
The Bearcats will return to action on Friday, April 21, with another doubleheader against a conference heavyweight, as they welcome the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets to Latrobe for a 3 p.m. twinbill. The defending PAC champ Yellow Jackets are tied with SVC atop the conference standings with an 11-3 PAC mark.
