ERIE, Pa. – The Franciscan softball team dropped an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheader to Penn State Behrend, Saturday afternoon. The Lady Barons dropped the first game 10-2 in six innings before the Lions needed a walk-off bloop single in the bottom of the seventh to take the second game, 2-1.
The Lady Barons were trailing 1-0 after the first two innings in the opening contest before sophomore
Allyson Weiss left the yard for the third time in four games. Senior
Anna Ames got on base with a single up the middle to lead off the inning and after a pair of ground outs, Weiss drilled her team-leading seventh home run of the season. The Lady Barons led 2-1 after three full innings.
The Lions went quietly in the third and fourth before regaining the lead 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a five-run inning. Penn State Behrend added four more runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth to win 10-2.
Behrend struck first again in the second game as they plated a run on three hits and two Lady Baron errors in the bottom of the third. Franciscan got the run back in top the of the fourth as freshman
Anna Swierczewski grounded out to first that allowed junior
Kathleen Thompson to score from third.
Franciscan had a chance to take the lead in the top of the sixth with a runner on third and one out but the Lady Barons couldn't bring her home as Behrend got out of the inning with a double play pop up.
The Lady Barons once again were threatening to score in the top of the seventh with runners on second and third with one out but senior AJ Nichols got her two outs to close out the seventh and send the game into the last at bat for the Lions.
Katie Gozzard led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple to right and Nichols got herself the win as she dropped a single in shallow center right behind shortstop to bring home Gozzard.
The Lady Barons are now 20-11 on the year and 9-7 in the AMCC.
Franciscan will play its regular season finale tomorrow as the Lady Barons host Medaille in an AMCC doubleheader at 1:00 pm In Steubenville.
