CU Softball Opens at Home, Falls in Pair to Gannon Falls to 0-17 on the Season


CLARION, Pa. – Clarion softball played its home opener in blustery, cold conditions on Friday and came up just short of a pair of wins, dropping 5-2 and 10-9 decisions to Gannon at the Memorial Field Complex.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles (0-17) will resume their homestand on Sunday when they host Seton Hill.

There were opportunities in both games for the Golden Eagles to claim wins, including a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning of the second game that nearly resulted in an improbable comeback. However, the Golden Knights thwarted them in both games, scoring three times in the top of the sixth of the first game to take the lead, and inducing a bases-loaded groundout in the second game to lock up the win.

Rebecca Kelley went 5-for-8 at the plate over the two games, including a perfect 3-for-3 mark in the first game. She drove in two runs and scored another, all during the second game. Nicole Collins also drove in a pair of runs, doing so with a two-run double in the seventh inning of game two.

Clarion hopped out to a lead early in the first game, with Jessica Cartia lining a single to center field in the bottom of the first inning to score Collins. The Golden Knights followed with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to make it 2-1, but a heads up defensive play kept Gannon from tacking on even more runs in the inning. Aryn Boyer caught Kaity Stocker’s sacrifice fly and tossed the ball back to the infield, where Kelley cut the throw off and fired it over to third base to nail Ashley Bower for a double play.

Haley Pszyk tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, lining a ball down the left field line to bring Alexis Boie around and make it 2-2. A bout of wildness from Macy Rubin (0-6) led to the Golden Knights adding a trio of runs in the sixth inning, making it 5-2, and that was how the game ended as Clarion was unable to even up in the seventh inning.

The finish to the second game proved to be an exciting scene for the fans that stuck out the rain and cold, with Clarion nearly coming back from a 10-4 deficit to salvage the split. Trailing by six runs entering the seventh inning, the Golden Eagles drew seven walks and combined it with some timely hitting and baserunning. Pszyk scored the first run of the inning on a passed ball, and Moriah Lynn drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-6. Collins followed that up with a hard-hit ball to right field that scored two, making it 10-8, and Cartia drew another bases-loaded walk to make it 10-9. Kelley came to the dish with the game on the line and nearly beat out an infield hit, but the throw beat her by a hair and ended the game.

Kelley plated the first two runs of the game with a line drive to center field in the bottom of the first inning, making it 2-0, and Boyer drove a ball through the left side of the infield to cut the Golden Knights’ lead to 9-3. Taylor Nonnenberg scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to make it 9-4 before Gannon added another run in the seventh.

In the second game for Gannon, Moniteau grads Kennedy and Kristina DeMatteis played key roles. Kennedy was the winning pitcher while Kristina was 1-for-4 with an RBI.


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