Softball Splits Final Day at Rebel Games
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 13, 2010) – The No. 21 C.W. Post softball team defeated Lock Haven in extra innings in the first game before falling just short in a comeback effort against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 8-7, in the second game and final day of action at the Rebel Spring Games in Florida.
The Pioneers end their spring trip to Florida with a 5-3 overall record.
In the first game, junior pitcher Sarah Kiser (Arnold, Md.) kept the Lady Eagles off balance all game, throwing 6.2 innings shutout innings and scattering seven hits. The lefty struck out seven batters and walked three.
The Lock Haven pitching was equally strong in keeping the Pioneers off the board however, as Becca Bailey scattered seven hits and struck out seven over 8.2 inning of work.
After a scoreless seven innings by both teams, the international tiebreaker rule went into effect. But both teams put up zeros in the eighth, largely in part due to reliever Hayley Bettles (Surrey, British Columbia) who induced two strikeouts and a popup to escape the eighth with no damage, but C.W. Post could not scratch out a run in the bottom of the inning and international tiebreaker continued.
In the ninth, Lock Haven took a 1-0 lead on a Brittany Patakay's RBI single up the middle, but that was all they would score as Bettles struck out two more and got a ground ball to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, senior Katie Fisher (Boyertown, Pa.) was placed on second and advanced to third on freshman Nicole Fierro's (East Hampton, N.Y.) sacrifice bunt. Fisher scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Kristen Morcone (Milford, Mass.). Sophomore Kendall Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) came up and ripped a home run to left field for the walk-off win for the Pioneers.
Game two saw the Pioneers looking at a deficit in the first inning as Indiana took advantage of infield miscues and pushed across four runs.
C.W. Post scratched out a run in the third as Bright scored from second on freshman Rogin Hardy's (Kirkland, Wash.) single to left field.
But IUP scored another three runs in the third as Kelsey Ferguson ripped a two-run homer and a fielding error allowed another run to score, and IUP's lead was 7-1.
But C.W. Post slowly chipped away and scored another run in the fourth as Shannon Kulnis (Flemington, N.J.) doubled to left and pinch runner Kaci Hopkins (New Egypt, N.J.) advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Fisher and scored on a throwing error by the IUP right fielder.
The Pioneers pulled to within 7-5 in the fifth when Christie Softy (Floral Park, N.Y.) blasted a three-run shot to dead center, and tied the game in the seventh as Softy struck again, this time roping a two-run shot to left, making the score 7-7.
But IUP pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh as Michelle Bivona dropped a single into shallow right field for the walk off RBI.
Junior starter Christina Berardi (Raynham, Mass.) faced five batters in the first inning and gave up four runs on two hits and two walks. Bettles threw very well in relief, going 6.2 innings and scattering eight hits while striking out eight and walking just one.
C.W. Post will take the field again Friday, March 19 at 1 p.m., hosting LeMoyne College.