FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College softball team (1-7) split a
nonleague doubleheader with the Allegheny College Gators (3-3)
Sunday at the Hood Softball Field. Ashley Lenhart delivered a
walk-off double to right in the bottom of the eighth to give Hood a
5-4 win in the opener but the Gators rebounded with a 5-1 in the
nightcap to salvage a split.
In the first game, Allegheny plated a run in each of the first
two innings to take the early lead. Rebecca Burns and Marci Potuzko
drove in runs for the Gators.
Hood finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth with a
pair of runs to even things up at 2-2. Sara Wastler led off the
inning with a double and came around to score on an RBI-groundout
by Lenhart. Krista Zerby also laced a double to right center and
scored the game-tying run on a fielding error by Burns.
Neither team was able to push across a run in the seventh,
forcing the international tiebreaker. In Allegheny's half of the
eighth, Rachel Ryan doubled in Sara Doan and came around to score
the Gators' fourth run following a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Katie Wills.
Hood rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame to pull
out the dramatic victory, the Blazers' first of the spring. After
pinch-runner Sam Smith was placed on second to start the inning,
Emalie Stroup singled up the middle to put runners at the corners
with nobody out. Katherine Law then ripped a double to left center
to bring around Stroup and Smith and tie the game once again at
4-4. Amanda Downey got the next two Blazer hitters to fly out, but
Lenhart came through with the clutch base hit over the outstretched
glove of rightfielder Elizabeth Burr which scored Law for the
walk-off victory.
Bridgette Ringley went the distance in the circle and earned her
first career victory in a Hood uniform, allowing two earned runs on
10 hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Jacquie LeMar went
3-for-5 in the win while Stroup and Lenhart also had multi-hit
games as Hood pounded out a season-high 11 hits.
In game two, the Gators jumped out to a quick 3-0 advantage in
the top of the first. Rachel Ryan belted a two-run homer and Bessie
Artino had an RBI-double in the frame.
Allegheny tacked on single runs in the second and fifth innings
before the Blazers got one back in the bottom of the fifth on a
pinch-hit single to center by Jess Krietz. The Gators escaped a
dicey bottom of the sixth when the Blazers loaded the bases with
two outs. But Stacey Robertshaw fanned Krietz to end the threat.
Zerby extended her hit streak to five in a row with a single in
the sixth inning. Devon Markowitz took the loss, allowing three
runs in just two-thirds of an inning.
The Blazers return to action Thursday at Arcadia University at
2:30 p.m.
