LATROBE, Pa. (April 18) – The Saint Vincent softball team fell in both ends of a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader to conference-leading Allegheny College.

In the opener, the Gators (21-7, 12-4 PAC) broke open a tie game with two runs in the top of the fifth, while in game two, the Saint Vincent (16-12, 8-6 PAC) bats struggled in a 5-0 defeat.

GAME ONE: Allegheny 5, Saint Vincent 3

Saint Vincent racked nine hits, including three for extra bases, but were hampered by 10 runners left on base.

Three players recorded multi-hit games for SVC, with Nicolette Kloes going 2-for-3 with a home run, Olivia Persin 2-for-4 with a double, and Alyssa Henderson 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Allegheny jumped out to an early lead just three batters into the game on a two-run home run by Olivia Devries, and continued to threaten, loading the bases on two more hits and a hit batsman. SVC starter Haley BIcko would then bear down and leave the sacks juiced with an inning-ending lineout.

The Bearcats answered right back in the home half of the first. With one out, Persin singled and Jessica LaPorte doubled, before a one-base hit from Henderson brought Persin home to cut the deficit to 2-1. Two batters later, LaPorte scored and unearned tally to tie the game when a fly ball off the bat of Bicko was dropped.

The Gators again used the long ball to regain the lead in the top of the second on a leadoff, solo home run by Cameron Long to make it 3-2.

The teams traded zeroes over the next two frames, before Kloes led off the bottom of the fourth with blast inside the foul pole in left field for her first career dinger to tie the game at 3-3.

Allegheny answered right back in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs on three hits to take a 5-3 lead.

Saint Vincent looked poised to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fifth, as Persin doubled and Henderson singled with one out, but Allegheny starter Aleya Belardinelli escaped the jam with a pop up and groundout to keep the two-run lead.

After Bicko retired the side in order in the top of the sixth, the Bearcats again had a prime scoring chance in the bottom half, with Kloes and Mackenzie Favero each notching base hits, but both runners remained stranded as the Gators pitched out of another jam. It would mark the final scoring threat of the game for SVC, as they were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh.

Bicko went the distance in the circle and allowed five runs on 11 hits, with five strikeouts.

Belardinelli also threw a complete game for Allegheny, allowing three runs on nine hits with seven Ks.

GAME TWO: Allegheny 5, Saint Vincent 0

Allegheny again jumped out to an early lead in game two, sending eight batters to the plate in the top of the first to score three runs on five hits.

This time, the Bearcats were unable to counter, as Allegheny starter Madison Hulse allowed just one baserunner over the first five innings on a Henderson single in the bottom of the second. The Gators added onto the lead with an unearned run in the top of the fourth and a solo home run by Devries to extend the advantage to 5-0 after four-and-a-half innings.

Hulse pitched around a one-out single by Favero in the bottom of the sixth to keep SVC off the board, before the Bearcats attempted one last rally in the seventh, as Anita Szymoniak reached on catcher's interference and Karissa Seaman drew a two-out, pinch hit walk. Both runners remained stranded, however, as Hulse induced a groundout to end the game and seal the shutout.

Olivia Bushore started and took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in one inning of work. A.J. Arnal turned in a solid effort out of the bullpen, allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits with three strikeouts over the final six frames.

The Bearcats will be back in action on Sunday, April 21, taking part in a pivotal doubleheader at Waynesburg University. With just six games remaining, the Bearcats and Yellow Jackets are tied for sixth place in the PAC standings, as the top six teams will qualify for the PAC Championship Tournament. The top nine teams in the standings are separated by just four games, and SVC's trip to Waynesburg kicks off a final week in the season in which they will also face third-place Geneva, who holds a 9-5 league record, and seventh-place Grove City, who is 8-8.