STEUEBENVILLE – After a last minute location change, the Franciscan softball team found itself hosting the Pitt.-Greensburg Bobcats Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Barons and Bobcats split the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheader as Greensburg took the first game 4-3 and Franciscan won the second 12-4.
Because the Bobcats were originally scheduled to host the twin bill, they batted in the bottom of the inning for both games.
The Lady Barons jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the second game as freshman
Anna Swierczewski singled through the right side and freshman
Rachel Cooper came home. The lead would be short lived, however, as the Bobcats posted a four-run bottom of the first to take the 4-1 lead.
Franciscan bats seemed to warm up as the temperatures dropped, however, and the Lady Barons scored a run in every inning in the second game.
The Lady Barons cut the lead to 4-3 after the top of the second as sophomore
Allyson Weiss belted a two-run home run to straight away center. Freshman
Mary Roach tied the game in the top of the third as she reached on an error and Swierczewski came home. Franciscan took the lead for good in the fourth as freshman
Chloe Cross singled and Weiss came home to give the Lady Barons a 5-4 lead. Swierczewski pushed the lead to two with an RBI-groundout that allowed Cooper to come home.
The Lady Barons had their biggest inning between the two games with a five-run fifth to break it wide open. Roach got the scoring going as she was able to come home on a wild pitch before Weiss reached on a fielder's choice that brought home freshman Brittany Olsen Graham.
Cooper found the perfect time to hit her first collegiate homerun as she blasted a 2-2 pitch with two on base off of the scoreboard in left field to give Franciscan an 11-4 lead.
Senior
Anna Ames put the final touches on the scoring as she hit her second career home run and first of the season to give Franciscan a 12-4 lead.
Freshman pitcher
Sarah Keating battled hard after the four-run first and shut down the Bobcats over the final five innings. She allowed just three hits over the final five and did not surrender a run. In the bottom of the sixth, Keating induced three ground outs to sit the Bobcats down in order and pick up her sixth win of the season.
"It was good to get our first conference win, especially after I felt like we let game 1 slip through our fingers," remarked head coach Jim Walker. "The girls had a much better approach offensively in game two and it showed with a lot more balls hit hard."
Franciscan jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first game. Junior
Dennise Carrazco got the scoring going as she dropped a sacrifice fly to shallow right field as Weiss came home after she moved around the bases on a pair of wild pitches. Cooper reached on a walk and after stealing third, she was able to come home on an error by the catcher.
After three scoreless frames for both teams, Franciscan added to its lead in the top of the fifth as Weiss was able to score from first on a two-out RBI single from Cooper.
The 3-0 lead would prove to just not enough as the Bobcats tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with three runs on four hits.
The Lady Barons had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the top of the sixth with senior
Anna Ames on second but they were unable to bring her home and the game remained tied going into the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and two on for the Bobcats in the bottom of the frame, Krista Bayus doubled through the right side to plate the go-ahead run, 4-3. Sophomore
Andi Queen was able to get herself out of the inning with a groundout back to her but the Bobcats took their first lead of the game.
Franciscan loaded the bases with two out in the top of the seventh but Swierczewski hot a scorcher right back to the second baseman to end the game.
Weiss led the Lady Barons with five hits between the two games and three RBI.
Franciscan will hit the road for a two-game road trip that takes the Lady Barons to Pitt.-Bradford on Saturday for a 1:00 pm AMCC doubleheader before heading to Buffalo, NY to face D'Youville on Sunday for a 12:00 pm conference twinbill.
