LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University softball team (26-16, 12-6 PSACC) used 22 runs and 25 hits as the offense powered LHU to a Senior Day sweep of Clarion University (0-41, 0-18 PSACC) Saturday afternoon at Lawrence Field. The Bald Eagles were able to take game one, 10-2 in six innings before knocking off the Golden Eagles, 11-3 in game two.
The wins push LHU to 12-6 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Division play, just one game back of division leader Bloomsburg with two games left to play.
The wins also clinch Lock Haven's spot in the 2019 PSAC Playoffs.
In between the two games today, Lock Haven honored it's 2019 senior class of
Bree Hilty (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain),
Bekah Slattery (Douglasville, Pa./Daniel Boone),
Becca Caputo (Williamsport, Pa./Jersey Shore),
Faith Ceely (Troy, Pa./Troy),
Traci Kromko (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) and
Elizabeth Linn (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) and all that the class has done for the LHU softball program.
Game 1: W, 10-2 (6 inn.)
Lock Haven took game one of the doubleheader by a score of 10-2 in six innings.
After Clarion jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first inning, the Bald Eagles rallied to score four runs in the first two innings to jump ahead and take a 4-2 lead.
In the fourth inning,
Rachel Gricoski (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) highlighted a three-run inning for LHU when she drilled a three-run home run off of the scoreboard in left field to push Lock Haven's lead to 7-2.
Leading 8-2 in the bottom of the sixth, The Bald Eagles tacked on three more runs to inflict the eight-run rule as The Haven knocked off Clarion, 10-2.
Lock Haven pounded out 12 hits in the contest as three different Bald Eagles recorded multi-hit games.
Gricoski led the way, finishing 3-4 in the game with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI's. Caputo and
Casey Carpenter (Spring Brook, Pa./North Pocono) both added two hits. Caputo added two RBI's and two runs scored while Kromko and
Madison Mathes (Hammonton, Pa./Hammonton) each scored two runs as well.
Slattery added a double while also pitching all six innings, giving up five hits, no earned runs and striking out six. The six strikeouts move her to 770 for her career.
Game 2: W, 11-3 (6 inn.)
Lock Haven took game two, 11-3 in six innings to sweep the day over the Golden Eagles.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the third, LHU used a four-run inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from
Kayla Gee (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock), to take a 5-2 lead after three innings.
After Clarion cut the lead to 5-3 in the fourth, Lock Haven responded in the fifth with a five run inning to jump out to a 10-3 lead as LHU pushed the game to the brink.
In the sixth inning, Linn ended the game with a sacrifice fly to deep right field that scored Caputo to end the game as LHU defeated Clarion, 11-3 to sweep the day.
The Bald Eagles tallied 13 hits in the game with five different players recording multi-hit games for LHU. Ceely, Caputo, Carpenter, Mathes and Gee all finished with two hits for the Bald Eagles. Gee added a home run, three RBI's and a run scored while Mathes added two RBI's and a run scored. Caputo, Carpenter and Mathes all tallied doubles in the game as well.
Gee notched win No. 10 in the circle for the season as she pitched all six innings for LHU, allowing just three hits while striking out six.
Up Next:
Lock Haven will wrap up the regular season with a PSAC Central doubleheader clash at Mansfield against the Mounties tomorrow (April 28). Those games are scheduled for 2:00/4:00 starts.
