Scranton, Pa. - Marywood University qualified for the Colonial States Athletic Conference softball playoffs with a pair of comeback performances in a sweep of Keystone College on Saturday. The Pacers came back from five- and three-run deficits to propel themselves into the six-team tournament.
Marywood scored nine unanswered runs in a 9-5 victory in the opener. The Pacers tallied four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for an 8-7 win over the Giants in the nightcap. The Pacers have won five straight.
Kirstie Alvarez drove in the game-winning runs in both games. She batted 7 for 8 with five RBI for the twinbill. Alvarez was the winning pitcher in the first contest.
Marywood 8, Keystone 7 (Game Two)
In the latter game, Keystone tacked on four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 7-4 lead heading into the Pacers' last set of at-bats.
Hailey Rapisardi started the inning with a single down the left field line.
Mackie Goodwin hit a single that dropped into right field but put pinch-runner
Ally Latham in no woman's land to set up the outfield assist. With one out,
Lauryn Butler and
Annie Heyen both singled to center field.
After a throwing error on Heyen's single plated the first run and a walk to
Heather Schultz loaded the bases,
Alexa Scala hit a grounder that the second baseman got the lead runner out on home. The catcher attempted to double-up Scala at first, but an errant throw led to the tying runs.
Kirstie Alvarez hit a walk-off single up the middle that scored Scala and sent the Pacers' bench into a frenzy. Alvarez had a hit in all five at-bats.
Scala provided the Pacers with a 3 for 5 performances with a pair of runs. Butler went 3 for 4 with a double.
Kelsey Killeen and Rapisardi each hit safely twice.
Katie Siano evened her record to 4-4 with the win on the mound.
Until the seventh, Marywood struggled with runners in scoring position. The Pacers left 11 runners on base. The Pacers put three on the board in the bottom of the first. Alvarez kicked the action off with an RBI single to right field that scored Schultz. Killeen and Rapisardi each had an RBI single, but the Pacers left a bases-loaded opportunity with one out.
Keystone made the best of an opportunity but scoring one run on a fielding error, throwing error, and two wild pitches in the top of the second. After Marywood left two on base in the bottom of the second, Keystone evened the score at 3-3 in the third.
Butler's double allowed for Rapisardi to score from first base in the fourth.
Marywood 9, Keystone 5 (Game 1)
Alvarez put the brakes on a Keystone offense that put across five runs in the first two innings. She yielded just two hits from the third to the seventh innings.
A five-run fourth inning propped the Pacers out of their early hole. After Scala and Alvarez reached via a hit-by-pitch and bases-on-balls, Killeen engineered two runs with a bases-clearing double to left field.
Hannah Docalovich delivered a bases-loaded single to the right-center fence that scored Goodwin and Killeen.
Annie Heyen hit a sac fly that allowed Latham to square the game at 5-5.
An inning later, Scala and Alvarez cranked back-to-back doubles to take the lead.
Jackie Burke hit a sac fly to extend the Pacers' lead to 7-5.
Alvarez batted 2 for 3 with a double, two runs and three RBI. She gave up four earned runs in seven innings with seven sttrikeouts.
Scala reached three times with two runs and a double. Killeen and Docalovich each finished with two RBI. Killeen and O'Meara both doubled.
Keystone's Ryleigh Fitch went 2 for 4 with three RBI.
Marywood will host Centenary University on Monday for its regular season finale. The Pacers qualified for the CSAC first round, a one-game elimination round that begins on Wednesday. The winners, along with the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, will play in a double-elimination tournament next weekend.
