Cresson, PA - The Mount Aloysius Softball team swept Pitt-Bradford in their final regular season double-header, clinching the 2nd seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Mounties dominated game one, winning 8-0 in a 5 inning contest shortened by the run rule, and scored 7 runs in their final 3 at bats to take game two 7-2.
Kara Pisczek (Johnstown, Pa/Conemaugh Township) pitched the first game, and silenced the Panther bats for all 5 innings played. She allowed only 3 hits, a single in the second, and two singles in third, and 0 walks while striking out 5 batters. The complete game shutout was Pisczek's 5th straight outing in which she has not allowed an earned run. Additionally, of the 15 outs recorded Pisczek recorded, 10 were ground outs and 5 were strikeouts, making it a very quiet game for the Mountie outfield.
Offensively, The Mounties were able to jump ahead quickly, as they scored 3 in the first.
Kate Little (Asheville, PA/Penn Cambria) and
Kayla Hopkins (Canonsburg, PA/Canon-McMillan) each doubled and saw catcher
Lydia DeFazio (Harrison City, PA/Penn Trafford) walk to load the bases. After an
Emily Cochran (Natrona Heights, PA/Highlands) RBI ground out,
Brianna Benscoter (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg) came through with a clutch two out two run single up the middle. The Mounties were able to tack on another run in the 3rd on a
Courtney Link (Ebensburg, PA/Bishop Carroll) RBI groundout. They put up another big inning in the 4th as three more runs crossed the plate. Little led off the inning with a single up the middle, advanced all the way to third on a passed ball and was quickly brought home on a Hopkins sacrifice fly. DeFazio got things restarted with a single to right, and then was driven home when Benscoter crushed a home run to left field. The round tripper was Benscoter's second of the year and made the score 7-0. After another Pisczek zero, the Mounties were able to quickly score a run in the 5th to bring hte game to a close.
Hannah Ruby (Belleville, PA/Mifflin County) drove a pinch hit single to right field, that saw Link race around the bases to score the 8th and final run.
Pisczek picked up the win, moving her record to 7-1 on the year. Benscoter was the offensive star of the game, as she went 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored, 4 RBIs and the home run.
Kate Little and
Abby Reitz (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle Antrim) also chipped in with two hits a piece.
The second game of the day got off to a much slower start as both teams struggled to get their offenses restarted after the break. Cochran started the game in the circle for the Mounties, and completely shut down the Panther offense at the beginning of the game. Cochran retired the first 10 batters of the game with the only player to record a hit getting thrown out stretching her hit into a double. She ran into trouble in the 4th after a runner reached on an error. Following the error, Pitt-Bradford broke up the no hitter with a single, and then got runners on the corners after a fielder's choice ground ball. With two down, Cochran allowed a double into right field to score the runners and put the Mounties down 2-0.
Mount Aloysius responded quickly as DeFazio blasted her 9th home run of the season to deep left field to lead off the 4th. Behind 2 to 1 heading into the 5th, Cochran was replaced by fellow freshman
Karlie Clark (Yukon, Pa/Yough). Clark picked up where Cochran started and quickly got the Mounties back into the dugout. Link tripled to right field to lead off the fifth and after a Pisczek walk, utilized a double steal to score the game tying run. Clark put up another hitless inning in the 6th and then saw the Mountie offense break out with 5 runs in the bottom half to break away from the Panthers. DeFazio, Benscoter and Reitz all singled to start the rally and load the bases. Ruby came through with another pinch hit single, this time to left field to bring in the first two runs. After the hit Sammy Smith (Trafford, PA/Penn Trafford) re-entered the game and promptly stole second base. Link beat out an infield single to score the third run and then stole second. On the steal, Bradford committed an error that saw Smith score and Link move to third. To close the scoring, Pisczek drove an RBI double to left field to put the Mounties up 5-2.
To finish the game, Clark put down the Panthers in order in the 7th. She was awarded the win as she pitched 3 innings without allowing a hit or a walk and struck out 2 batters. The win moves her record to 9-3 on the year. Cochran picked up a no decision despite four strong innings of work. She allowed two unearned runs on 3 hits in 4 innings. The Mounties used a balanced attack that collected 11 hits in all. Link finished the game 3 for 3, while Pisczek, DeFazio and Benscoter all went 2 for 3.
The wins move the Mounties record to 29-8 on the season with a final AMCC record of 15-3. The wins not only clinched the 2nd seed in next week's AMCC Championship tournament, but also set the program record for wins in a season. They will look to repeat as conference tournament champions in Erie next week and make a return appearance in the NCAA tournament. The AMCC tournament is a double elimination tournament that is scheduled to run from Friday through Sunday. The postseason journey is scheduled to start on Friday at approximately 2:00 PM as the Mounties will face the winner of #3 Pitt Bradford and #6 Penn State Altoona.
