Baltrusaitis_1670
Carey Action Photography
Sam Baltrusaitis hit a walkoff grand slam to defeat Gwynedd Mercy
6
Winner Gwynedd Mercy GMSB 1-12
3
Marywood MUSB 5-4
Winner
Gwynedd Mercy GMSB
1-12
6
Final
3
Marywood MUSB
5-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gwynedd Mercy GMSB 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 6 10 2
Marywood MUSB 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 2

W: Maddy McBride (1-5) L: Marsico, Gianna (3-2)

9
Gwynedd Mercy GMSB 1-13
10
Winner Marywood MUSB 6-4
Gwynedd Mercy GMSB
1-13
9
Final
10
Marywood MUSB
6-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gwynedd Mercy GMSB 0 1 3 0 1 4 0 9 14 3
Marywood MUSB 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 10 14 0

W: Marsico, Gianna (4-2) L: Ashley Focht (0-4)

Game Recap: Softball |

Baltrusaitis' Walk-Off Grand Slam Seals Pacers' Comeback

Marywood splits doubleheader with Gwynedd Mercy

Scranton, Pa. - With the sun setting on the Atlantic East Conference doubleheader, Sam Baltrusaitis set off to achieve the ultimate, at least in the context of softball lexicon. Facing a three-run deficit with the bases loaded, the Marywood University center fielder blasted a grand slam to lift the Pacers to a come-from-behind 10-9 victory over Gwynedd Mercy University.

The feat is so rare that it's referred as the ultimate grand slam – a walk-off, bases-loaded home run when the home team trails by three in the last inning. To put it in perspective, it has only happened 29 times in Major League Baseball history. 

Baltrusaitis crushed the first pitch she saw to cap a five-run comeback in the bottom of the seventh. With runners at every corner, Baltrusaitis' hit carried down the left line, backtracking the Griffins' left fielder to the warning track until it ultimately cleared the fence. It was her fourth homer of the season. 

Marywood split the Atlantic East Conference doubleheader with Gwynedd Mercy. The Griffins earned their first victory of the season with a 6-3 final in the opener.

Game 2: Marywood 10, Gwynedd Mercy 9 

After being no-hit into the fourth, Marywood erased a five-run, and four-run deficit in the late innings. The Pacers scored five in both the fifth and seventh innings to even the score and win the game, respectively. 

The game-winning grand slam came from Baltrusaitis as part of a 2 for 4 performance with two runs and four RBI. Annie Heyen broke up a no-hit bid in the fourth, finishing with three hits, a run and an RBI. 

Baltrusaitis' grand slam was the first extra-base hit for the Pacers. Their previous 13 hits during the night cap were all singles. 

Gianna Marsico, the starting pitcher for the first game, came in relief in the seventh inning to earn the victory.

Facing a 9-5 deficit in the bottom of the seventh, Heyen led off with a single to left field. Rae Hatala had a base hit to shallow center, followed by a Cait Becher drive up the middle to load the bases. Jackie Burke delivered the first run of the comeback with another single to center field to drive in Heyen for the team's sixth run.

Marywood's Emily Rose and Becher each provided two singles and a run scored. In her first-ever collegiate appearance, Abbey Stalter was a late-game substitution and battled 2 for 2 with a run scored. 

The Pacers trailed 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. Baltrusaitis started a five-run rally with a leadoff infield single. Stalter slapped a ball to second base on a full-count to get her first college hit. The Pacers continued to play small ball with a Rose bunt single to load the bases. Following a Mara Hamm RBI on an errant throw, Rapisardi kept the line moving with an RBI single to left. Heyen recorded the team's fifth single of the inning to score Hamm, and Hatala delivered an RBI single to even the score at 5-5. 

Gwynedd Mercy responded with a four-run sixth inning, thanks to Jocelyn Baumeister's third double of the afternoon. 

The Griffins' Ashley Focht took the loss despite not allowing a hit until the fourth inning. Focht recorded a rare feat of her own with a three-pitch inning — again, for context's sake, achieved less than 200 times in MLB history — to sit down the Pacers in the second. 

Game 1: Gwynedd Mercy 6, Marywood 3

Gwynedd Mercy picked up its first victory of the season with a 6-3 decision over Marywood in the opening game of the Atlantic East softball doubleheader. 

The Griffins took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning and added three more in the seventh. 

Jocelyn Baumeister went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and RBIs for the Griffins. Ashley Focht had a pair of hits and RBIs. Maddy McBride kept Marywood in check with just one earned run and seven strikeouts in a complete-game effort. 

Gianna Marsico struck out nine in seven innings for the Pacers. 

Marywood's offense was guided by a 2 for 3 outing by Emily Rose, reaching base three times and scoring one run. Hailey Rapisardi scored two runs as part of a two-hit day at the plate. Jackie Burke hit 2 for 4 with an RBI. 

Baltrusaitis preserved a Marywood chance at a late comeback with an outstanding play in center field. On a ball seemed destined to drop in shallow right-center field, she made a diving leap to corral a Hannah McLaughlin fly amid her forward tumble. Baltrusaitis' improvised gymnastics left the runner leashed at second base with two outs before Marsico finished the sixth with a punchout. 

Marywood closes its series with Immaculata University on Saturday at noon. The Pacers will face Gwynedd Mercy again on Wednesday, April 28. 
 
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