Softball earns split in conference opener

Schuylkill Haven, Pa. - The Nittany Lions softball team kicked off the conference schedule on Friday in a tough matchup at Penn State Schuylkill. Schuylkill pitching dominated the first end of the double-header, with Hazleton batters striking out 17 times in a 7-0 defeat, but Hazleton responded well in game two, surging ahead for a 6-0 advantage through two innings and the Lions hung on to claim their first win of the season by a score of 6-5. 

Game One: Penn State Hazleton 0, Penn State Schuylkill 7 - Final

Game one was dominated by Schuylkill's Emme Criswell who tossed seven strong innings for the home team. Criswell mowed down 17 Hazleton hitters in the game, allowing just four hits and zero walks in the game. Hazleton first year player Amy Dwojewski and third year player Tori Rabuck gathered the Lions only hits in the contest with both players going 2-for-3 with a double in the contest and Rabuck being the only Hazleton player not to strike out in the game. Criswell's effectiveness was bolstered by 10 hits from the Schuylkill offense, who got to Hazleton fourth year pitcher Paige Parisi for six earned runs. Parisi's effort from the circle was solid with just two runs allowed through the first five innings, but the home squad posted five runs on five hits and one error in the bottom of the sixth inning, sealing up the win for Schuykill. 

Game Two: Penn State Hazleton 6, Penn State Schuylkill 5 - Final

Hazleton came out motivated in game two and leaped ahead with two runs in the first inning. Following a leadoff single by fourth year player Jess Lepore, third year player Ashley Wilson drove in the senior with a double. Hazleton would load the bases after the initial score, leading to a sacrifice fly by fourth year player Linsey Fisk, but Schuylkill escaped further damage with a groundout to end the inning. After a clean inning from second year hurler Tiffany Brogan, the Lions went back to work with the bats, cashing in four scores in the second frame. Three straight singles led to a another RBI by Wilson, followed by RBI singles from Rabuck, Fisk and productive groundout from Brogan to help her own cause. In total, Hazleton registered six hits in the frame, leading Schuylkill to send Criswell back to the circle for the remainder of the game. 

After a stellar effort in game one, Criswell picked up right where she left off. The Schuylkill pitcher managed to quiet the hot bats of Hazleton just as she did in game one, but after spotting the Lions a six run cushion, Schuylkill was forced to play catch up. Brogan looked like she was in mid season form through the first four innings and the defense stepped up behind her to shut out Schuylkill through the first four innings. Things began to get dicey for Hazleton in the fifth and sixth frames as the Schuylkill squad touched up Brogan for seven hits, leading to five runs, but Brogan was able to induce weak attempts from the hitters to strand three base runners and maintain the lead. She continued that trend in the all important seventh frame, baiting the first two Schuylkill hitters into groundouts in the final inning and despite giving up a two-single, Brogan served up a game-ending groundout to retire the side and earn her first win of the year. 

Brogan ended the game allowing five runs on 14 hits and one strikeout, but issued no free passes to the home team. Wilson led the offense going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored with Lepore and third year player Athena Matenkoski gathering multi-hit games as well. Fisk added two RBI in support, going 1-for-4 in the win. 

Next up: Hazleton will continue conference play on Sunday when the Lions host Penn State Brandywine. With poor weather in the forecast for Saturday, Sunday's game has been moved to Cheech and Jelly field at Bloomsburg Area High School in Bloomsburg, Pa. and scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.