Lady Lions drop opener to Briarcliffe at USCAA Nationals
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Penn State Hazleton
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
|
Briarcliffe (NY)
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
Akron, OH - The Lady Lions got off to a great start in round one of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series, but quickly relinquished their first inning lead and were unable to reignite the offense against Briarcliffe College. The Bulldogs successfully manufactured a lead and held down the Hazleton offense to advance in the winners bracket with a 4-1 victory over the Lady Lions.
Briarcliffe College 4, Penn State Hazleton 1
Top 1: Kaitlyn Kaluzny reached base on an infield error by the Bulldog defense. Andrea Quillman strikes a line drive to right center field for a triple to score the opening run.
Bottom 1: Briarcliffe responds with a four hit inning off Hazleton's Kayla Karchner. Singles from Gesmondi, Castillo, and Gaeta plate two runs to claim the lead, before Hazleton is able to record an out. A Bunai single with one out give Briarcliffe a 3-1 advantage.
Bottom 4: Both squads settle in to post zeros for the opponents in the second and third innings, before the Bulldogs strike again in the fourth inning. Gomex singles and reaches third on a pair of sacrifice bunts. With two outs, Gesmondi singles to add an insurance run, pushing the lead to 4-1 infavor of Briarcliffe.
Top 7: Hitless since the third inning, Brianna Grunza and Kayla Rhome lead off Hazleton's final at bat with a pair of singles. Gomez rebounds in the circle for Briarcliffe to eliminate the Hazleton threat and secure the win for the Bulldogs.
Behind the Box Score:
- Hazleton manages just two base runners in the middle five innings off Gomez.
- Quillman's RBI triple gives her 75 for the 2015 season.
- Karchner settles down after the opening frame, finishing with four runs allowed on 7 hits in six innings pitched.
Next Up: The Lady Lions were scheduled to face off with PSU Schuylkill in the double elimination tournament. After a one hour rain delay, play began and the Lady Lions took a 5-1 in the second inning prior to the game being called for rain. Play will resume Tuesday morning at 10 AM on field two.