CUP Softball Splits Twin Bill With University of the Sciences

| March 25, 2017

CUP softball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Clarion softball team snapped a long losing streak in the first half of a doubleheader on Friday, splitting a twin bill with University of the Sciences on the road.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles (2-18) beat the Devils 3-2 in the early game before falling by a 6-2 score in the nightcap.

Rachel Hoffman (2-4) threw five innings in the first game, allowing just five hits and one run while striking out 10 Devils. Paige Baker picked up her first save of the year, throwing the final two innings and allowing just one run to shut the door on the Devils.

At the plate, Brigid Stermel went 2-of-3 in the first game and also reached base on a walk. Laura Sadowski and Cassidy Runyan both went 1-of-2 and drove in runs. Runyan was also part of the Golden Eagles’ third run to cross the plate, giving her team a 3-0 advantage in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a steal of home plate while Taylor Nonnenberg swiped second base.

Sadowski put Clarion on top after neither team got on the board in the first four innings, scoring Audrey Hummell on a hard grounder to second base. Runyan lined one through the middle of the infield to score Aryn Boyer, and later came around on the steal attempt. Ashley Lewis reached base in the bottom of the seventh after Baker hit her, and eventually came around to score, but the batter was caught trying to stretch a single into a double and was nabbed at second base to end the game.

Clarion held an early lead in the late game, scoring in the top of the first inning when Kimberly Burdett rapped a single to right field to score Nonnenberg. The Devils responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning and another in the second to take a 3-1 lead, but Clarion chipped away into that in the top of the fourth. Burdett led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a groundout by Sadowski. Natalie Else plated her with just one out, driving a pitch to the outfield to bring Burdett around from second base to make it 3-2.

The Devils tacked on three more runs the rest of the way, though, and took a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk. Boyer was the last Golden Eagle to reach, hitting a two-out double in the top of the sixth, but the offense couldn’t take advantage and the rally fell short.


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