Varela and Penczkowski shut-out Worthington Scranton

Drifton, Pa. - Hazleton bounced back after Monday's loss with a stellar effort on both sides of the field as they took on Worthington Scranton Tuesday night. Sophomore Samantha Varela (Hazleton, Pa.) and freshman Mary Kate Penczkowski (Hanover, Pa.) shut down their opponents with a pair of shut-out pitching performances as the duo surrendered just two hits each from the circle. The Lady Lions backed up those efforts with an outpouring of offense that totaled 24 hits and five home runs, making short work of the visitors to take game one by the score of 8-0 in six frames and game two ,15-0 in four innings. 

Game 1: Penn State Hazleton 8, Penn State Worthington Scranton 0 (Final, 6 Innings)

Top Performers

Varela got the job done from both the pitching circle and the batters box. The sophomore went 3-for-4 with four RBI in game one, crushing a pair of home runs that included a walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning. Varela hung zeros on the board for Worthington Scranton, not allowing a base runner to reach second base as she cruised to her seventh win of the season from the circle.

Freshman Jerrika Chorba (Bloomsburg, Pa.) notched her third home of season, a solo shot in the fourth inning, finishing the game 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI while freshman Erin Schmick (Macungie, Pa.) and Sarah Coolbaugh (Harding, Pa.) added multi-hit games, both going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Moments that Mattered

Bats break out in the 2nd

After a scoreless first at-bat, Hazleton hitters combine for six hits in the second inning. Three straight singles start off the frame and sophomore Shelby Jolliff (Dunkirk, Oh.), Jerrika Chorba and freshman Breann Fetterman (Mountain Top, Pa.) cash in Hazleton's first three scores. Varela caps the big inning with a three run bomb to left center to give the Lady Lions a 6-0 advantage.

Varela Fires On All Cylinders

Hazleton's ace fans eight Worthington Scranton batters and retires her final nine opponents to secure the win from the circle. 

Game 2: Penn State Hazleton 15, Penn State Worthington Scranton 0 (Final, 4 Innings)

Top Performers

Chorba continued to smoke the ball in the night cap game, leading off the affair with her second smash of the night. The shortstop would go on to add an RBI single in the third frame and drive in a score in the fourth inning on a double to left center field, totaling three RBI and four runs scored in the win.

Sophomore Vanessa Michael's (Bloomsburg, Pa.) bat warmed up in the second inning with an RBI double, then blew the game open in the third as the sophomore launched her second grand slam of the season to lead the squad with five RBI on the night. 

For the second straight game, Erin Schmick picked up multiple hits, ending the game 2-for-3 with two RBI while freshmen Kianna Lukoskie and Ariel Rowlands (Dorrance, Pa.) added multiple runs driven in for Hazleton. 

Mary Kate Penczkowski kept a clean sheet from the circle, firing four shut-out innings to notch her sixth win of the season. Penczkowski allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out one hitter in the victory.

Moments that Mattered

Hitting in the Clutch

The Lady Lions racked up seven of their 15 total hits with two outs in the inning. Five of those hits resulted in nine runs driven in for Hazleton including Michael's RBI double and grand slam home run.

Next Up

Hazleton earns a day off on Wednesday before hitting the road on Thursday for a non-conference matchup with the University of Scranton. First pitch scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at the Jessup Youth Sports Association Complext in Jessup, Pa.