GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
Langhorne, PA – After dropping the opening game of Friday afternoon's softball doubleheader at Philadelphia Biblical University 6-3, Marywood University won the nightcap 7-2 to notch their 24th victory of the season, tying the school record set by the 1988 ESAC Championship team that went 24-3 under coach Lori Guitson. The Pacers record now stands at 24-9 overall and 15-5 in Colonial States Athletic Conference play.
In the opener, the two teams played scoreless ball through the first four innings before the Crimson Eagles broke through in the bottom half of the fifth. After a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt, Philadelphia Biblical got an RBI base-hit from Sara Poole and would add two more runs on groundout by Betsy Ranck.
The Crimson Eagles added three unearned runs in the home half of the sixth to extend their lead to 6-0.
In the top half of the seventh inning and down to their last out, Marywood got singles from Jillian Flanagan (Monroe, NY) and Miranda Sorber (Hunlock Creek, PA) to put two runners on for lead-off hitter Erika Cook (Wyalusing, PA). Cook smacked a two-run double and after advancing to third, would score to cut the Pacers' deficit in half.
Cook's double was the 44th of her career, tying her with Megan Haikes for Marywood's school record.
Caitlin Hadzimichalis (Harmony, NJ) followed with a single, her third hit of the game, but after that Ranck, the Crimson Eagles' starting pitcher, was able to get the final out of the game to help keep Philadelphia Biblical's playoff hopes alive.
Nikki Belles (Rome, PA) took the loss after giving up six hits and striking out three batters.
In the nightcap, the Pacers got off to a quick start, scoring three runs in the first inning. Cook led off the game with a single and Ashley Dommes (Scranton, PA) did the same two batters later. Kim Lope (Clifton, NJ) doubled to score Cook and Dommes and would later score by stealing home.
In the top half of the third, Dommes led off the inning with a walk and came around to score on a double by Colleen Regan (Endwell, NY) who would be brought around by a Kaitlyn Brennan single. Jillian Flanagan then hit the first home run of her collegiate career, a two-run shot that gave the Pacers a 7-0 lead.
Philadelphia Biblical, now 12-16 overall and 9-9 in the CSAC, would get two runs back in the bottom of the third as Poole hit a sacrifice fly through brought home Bethany Hill and Jessica Ogden followed with an RBI single, but that was as close as the Crimson Eagles would come as Brennan went the distance on the Pacers' mound, scattering six hits to improve to 8-1 on the season.
Marywood will close out the conference portion of their schedule tomorrow afternoon when they host Immaculata University in a key doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. in Scranton.
