Softball drops two game set at Northampton

Bethlehem, Pa. - Penn State Hazleton softball fell in both of their games at Northampton Community College on Wednesday. The Lions played well, out-hitting Northampton in game one, but could not find the run production needed to capture the opener and fell 13-8. Later in the day, Hazleton found themselves just one out away from winning game two of the double-header, but a clutch two-out hit from Northampton's Sydney Harper drove in two runs to extend the game, allowing Northampton to go ahead one inning later and win the contest 7-6. 

Game one: Penn State Hazleton 8, Northampton Community College 13 - Final

Hazleton led off the game with three straight hits and broke for the game's first two scores with RBI's from third year players Ashley Wilson and Tori Rabuck. But after a solid 2-0 start, Hazleton struggled to get off the field. Northampton scored all 13 of their runs in their first three trips on offense, leaving Hazleton playing catch up for the remainder of the ball game. The Lions responded with two scores in the third inning and got another pair of scores off the bats of fourth year Jess Lepore and Rabuck in the fourth inning to tighten the game at 13-6 but it was an uphill battle after the shaky start. Second year Tiffany Brogan and fourth year Linsey Fisk drove in two runs in the top of the sixth inning to further close the gap however it was too little to late as Hazleton fell in the first match of the day. 

Fourth year Paige Parisi started the game in the circle for Hazleton, but exited after a five-run first inning for Northampton. Tori Rabuck finished the game and allowed just four earned runs for the remainder of the game despite some control issues early on. Rabuck and the defense blanked Northampton in their final four trips on offense. Of Hazleton's 14 hits in the game, Rabuck collected three knocks in four at bats, driving in two runs and scoring twice. Ashely Wilson also went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Linsey Fisk continued her success at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort to round out the top hitters for the Lions.

Game two: Penn State Hazleton 6, Northampton Community College 7 - Final, 9 Innings

Hazleton fell behind 1-0 in the first inning of game two, but in this outing Hazleton got the job done from the circle and with the gloves. The Lions limited Northampton to just one more score for the duration of the first seven innings but despite the offense collecting seven hits of their own in innings one through four, the Lions still trailed Northampton 2-1. Hazleton finally pushed their second run across the plate in the top of the sixth inning, getting some good base running from Brogan and first year Kat Rapp. Rapp successfully drew a throw on a stolen base attempt, allowing Brogan to score from third base after she singled earlier in the inning.

The score remained tied through regulation but in the eighth inning it looked as though Hazleton may just break through for the win. With Rabuck on second base, Linsey Fisk crushed her third home run of the season, putting the Lions up 4-2. Hazleton furthered their cushion three batters later after singles by Kat Rapp and first year Trinity Shaver-Cooper left runners at the corners for the Lions. Rapp would come home to score on a passed ball making it 5-2 in favor of Hazleton but Northampton wasn't done competing. The Spartans were nearly put away after Paige Parisi retired the first two hitters of the inning, but three straight hits from the meat of the Northampton order rallied the Spartans to extend the game to the ninth inning. Hazleton was able to push across a run in the ninth on a single from Rabuck go back on top but in the bottom half of the inning, Northampton responded once again, getting three straight hits with one away to score two runs and end the ball game 7-6. 

A bit of a heartbreaker for the Lions after a hard fought contest where Hazleton collected 16 hits. Five players garnered multi-hit games including three-hit efforts from Jess Lepore, Tiffany Brogan and Linsey Fisk. Ashley Wilson finished game two with a 2-for-5, one RBI effort while Trinity Shaver-Cooper went 2-for-4 in the loss. After pitching well for five innings in relief, Parisi took the loss from the circle in game two, allowing four earned runs on 12 hits, six of which came in extra frames. 

Next up: Hazleton is slated for a double-header with Penn State Scranton on Saturday, April 13 at the Scranton campus. First pitch slated for 12:00 p.m.