Softball runs away for two wins at Scranton

Dunmore, Pa. - The Hazleton Nittany Lions bounced back after a tough weekend series at Wilson College to grab two conference wins at Penn State Scranton on Tuesday. Hazleton pulled away late in game one to win 10-3 and continued to build momentum as the squad went on to take game two 19-1 in five innings. Hazleton collected 39 hits on the day and got outstanding pitching from fourth year hurler Paige Parisi on their way to the victories, improving Hazleton's record in conference play to 8-6 with four games to go. 

Game one: Penn State Hazleton 10, Penn State Scranton 3 - Final

After going scoreless through the first two innings of play, the Nittany Lions broke the ice in the top half of the third frame. A two-out hit by first year player Amy Dwojewski left runners at second and third base for Hazleton third year player Ashley Wilson, who drove in the pair of base runners with a triple to right center field. An error in the Scranton infield would plate the Lion's third run of the inning before Scranton retired the side. Scranton responded in the bottom half of the frame with a three-hit inning of their own and cutting the deficit to one run. The game remained locked at 3-2 in favor of Hazleton until the top of the fifth inning when fourth year player Linsey Fisk drove in two scores with a double down the left field line. Hazleton would add a run on another Scranton error to take a 6-2 lead and turned the game back over to Parisi. Parisi found her stride after the third inning hiccup, retiring nine straight Scranton hitters and posting zeros on the board in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames. Hazleton would tack on four insurance runs in their final two trips on offense and although Scranton picked up a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, there was little doubt for the outcome as Hazleton finished off the game with a 10-3 final score. 

Of Hazleton's 13 hits in the ball game, six Nittany Lions produced multi-hit efforts. Leading the charge was Linsey Fisk who went 2-for-4 with four RBI followed closely by Ashley Wilson who finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Third year player Athena Matenkoski, second year player Tiffany Brogan, along with first year players Amy Dwojewski and Kat Rapp also finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate. From the circle, Parisi was dealing in this one, allowing just eight hits to Scranton hitters. The fourth year player allowed three runs and struck out an impressive eight batters to secure the win for the Lions. 

Game two: Penn State Hazleton 19, Penn State Scranton 1 - Final, 5 Innings

Game one was by no means a poor offensive showing for the Lions, but it paled in comparison to the final game of the double-header. Hazleton racked up 26 hits in the second game and cruised to 19-1 victory. Once again in the circle for game two, Parisi mowed through the Scranton lineup, scattering eight hits in five innings of work and allowing just one score in the final inning of play. 

A five-hit, first inning saw Amy Dwojewski triple in the game's first run, followed by an RBI single off the bat of Wilson and a two-run home run from Linsey Fisk to put Hazleton up 4-0. After retiring the side in the bottom half of the frame, Hazleton broke the game open in the second inning registering eight hits in the stanza. Once again, it was the combination of Dwojewski, Wilson and Fisk inflicting the damage and the Lions picked up a two-RBI single off the bat of second year player Rachael Gerfin to tally seven runs and take an 11-0 lead. Hazleton put the game away in the third inning, producing five more runs on seven hits as the Lions' batted around for the second consecutive inning. Gerfin, Fisk, Brogan and Rapp all got in on the action to put this one out of reach with a 16-0 advantage heading into the middle innings. First year player Trinity Shaver-Cooper picked up a pair of late RBI's to put the Lions up 19-0 and although Scranton struck for four of their eight hits in the bottom of the fifth inning, it wasn't enough to extend the game as Parisi and the Hazleton defense comfortably closed out the game for back to back wins. 

Fisk, Lepore and Shaver-Cooper all had monster efforts at the plate in this one. Fisk finished just a triple shy of the cycle, notching four hits including a double, a home run and five RBI to lead the team. Shaver-Cooper and Lepore also went 4-for-5 in the win while Dwojewski, Wilson and Gerfin finished 3-for-5 at the plate with multiple RBI's. 

Next up: Hazleton has just four conference games on the schedule, all of which will be held on the Lion's home field. Hazleton will face off with Penn State Mont Alto on Friday, April 19 before welcoming Penn State DuBois on Saturday, April 20 to finish off the conference schedule.