LATROBE, Pa. (March 14) – The Saint Vincent softball team earned a decisive sweep in its 2024 home-opener, defeating visiting Penn State-Beaver by scores of 11-6 and 13-4.
 
The Bearcats racked 29 hits over the twin bill, including eight for extra bases, as they improved to 7-5 on the young season.
 
Game One: Saint Vincent 11, Penn State-Beaver 6
The Bearcats erupted for eight runs over the fifth and sixth innings to come back from an early 5-3 deficit and earn the 5-run win.
 
Olivia Persin went 5-for-5 with a triple, four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Bearcats' 16-hit attack. Persin was one of four teammates to record multi-hit games, as Kendall McConnell went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, Alyssa Henderson 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, and Nicolette Kloes 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored.
 
Penn State-Beaver began the scoring with two runs in the top of the first, before the Bearcats cut the deficit in half in the bottom end of the inning, when Persin smacked a one-out triple and scored on Henderson's double to the right field corner.
 
The Lions answered back with two more runs in the top of the second, before the Bearcats plated a pair in their half of the inning. Kloes walked and McConnell singled to open the inning, before Persin's single to center plated Kloes. Henderson then followed with a line drive single to right to bring home McConnell and cut the deficit to 4-3.
 
The Lions added to their lead with a single run in the top of the fifth, but the Bearcats would then storm back to take the lead for good, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth to open up an 8-5 lead. McConnell and Persin each had two-run singles in the inning, while Henderson picked up her third ribbie with a run-scoring single.
 
The Lions got one run back in the top of the sixth to cut the gap to 8-6, but the Bearcats put the game away for good with three runs in their final at-bats. Haley Bicko opened the inning with a single, before advancing to third on Kloes' opposite-field single. Anita Szymoniak reached on an error to bring home Bicko, before McConnell shot a single to right to score Kloes.  Two batters later, Person came through with another RBI single, plating Olivia Goodwin, who pinch ran for Szymoniak, with the Bearcats' 11th and final run.
 
Bicko started in the circle and earned the complete game win to move to 2-1 on the young season.
 
 
Game Two: Saint Vincent 13, Penn State-Beaver 4 (6 innings)
The Saint Vincent bats stayed hot in the nightcap, with 10 different players accounting for the team's 13 hits.
 
Zoe Mangan led the way, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs, while Shayna Perigo went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI.  Mackenzie Favero scored three runs and stole three bases, while Henderson cracked a three-run home run, the first dinger of her collegiate career.
 
As was the case in the opener, the Lions struck first, scoring one run on two hits in the top of the first, but it took the Bearcats just two batters to tie the score in the bottom half, as Favero smacked a leadoff single, stole both second and third base, and scored on Persin's RBI groundout.
 
Saint Vincent then broke the game wide open with a 5-run bottom of the third. The Bearcats loaded the bases with no outs, as Favero walked, Persin was hit by a pitch, and Henderson reached on an error. A wild pitch then brought Favero home, before Perigo laced a single to right to score Persin and give SVC a 3-1 lead. Henderson then scored on a Kloes sacrifice fly, and McConnell followed with a single up the middle to put runners at first and third. Mangan then cleared the bases with a double to the fence in left-center to extend the lead to 6-1.
 
Beaver got one run back in the top of the fourth, but SVC promptly added onto its lead in the bottom half. Favero reached on an error to open the inning, before Persin was again plunked, setting the stage for Henderson, who blasted a home run that easily cleared the fence in left-center to push the SVC lead to 9-2.
 
The Lions refused to go away, scoring two runs on three hits to close the gap to 9-4 in the fifth, but SVC then closed the game out with its final four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Perigo, Lexi Domachowski, and Karissa Seaman hit consecutive singles to load the bases, before Olivia Goodwin found the gap in left-center to bring home a pair. Mangan then closed the game out with her second two-bagger of the afternoon, plating Goodwin and Seaman and triggering the 8-run mercy rule.
 
Meghan Braun went the distance in the circle to earn the complete game win, allowing three unearned runs on seven hits, with two strikeouts and zero walks.
 
The Bearcats will be back at home on Saturday, March 16, hosting Penn State-New Kensington in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.