ERIE, Pa.—The Lady Baron softball team had a spectacular victory Saturday against the Hilbert College Hawks in a doubleheader played at Penn State Behrend. Playing as the home team, the Lady Barons defeated Hilbert 10-9 in an eight-inning game one, propelling Franciscan into a resounding 7-0 victory for game two.
"Everything is finally starting to click," stated head coach Terry Leighty, "Offensively we had 26 hits total today. We played flawlessly on the field as well; we are really starting to catch the ball and put pressure on the other team with our defense. It is truly wonderful for the girls to see all of their hard work begin to pay off."
The first inning of game one was an eventful battle for the lead with five runs given up to the Hilbert Hawks and three runs scored by the Lady Barons. Pitcher Brianna Antrim started out the inning but was soon relieved by senior Lara Plumlee. In the bottom of the fourth, the Hilbert Hawks scored another run as the Lady Barons responded in the fifth with a run over their own. But Franciscan gave up three more to the Hilbert Hawks, leaving the Lady Barons trailing 9-6.
In the seventh inning the Lady Barons rallied to tie the game 9-9. Pushed into extra innings, Lady Baron Christine Jacobs bunted and the next few batters walked. It wasn't until Lara Plumlee got a hit that the Lady Barons won with a final score of 10-9. Rebecca Peters totaled three hits in the first game, Erin Gulick added three hits and three RBI, while Lara Plumlee had a triple and went 3-5 with three RBI.
The energy from the Lady Barons first game victory carried over to game two. In the fourth inning the Lady Barons scored four runs: Rebecca Peters and Daniella Pillar both had doubles and Amanda Ruwart earned an RBI. In the seventh inning the Lady Barons finished the day with a clean 7-0 victory with no errors. Brianna Antrim pitched the first and second innings and Lara Plumlee pitched the remainder of the game.
"We really did well today, put the ball in play and capitalized on all of our hitting potential," noted Leighty, "After this season we will lose one senior, Lara Plumlee, but the rest of the girls will come back next season and the level of play will only continue to improve."
The Lady Barons are now 3-23 overall and 2-14 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. The team hosts Oberlin College on May 2, with the first pitch set for 3 p.m.
