READING, Pa. – A strong outing from the Hood College softball team powered the Blazers past Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth opponent Alvernia, defeating the Golden Wolves 4-1 in game one and 2-1 in game two to open conference play undefeated.
At the Plate
Rebecca Gottleib (Linthicum, Md./North County) batted 4-6 with a double and a stolen base across both games.
Jocelyn Pfleiger (Quakertown, Pa./Dock Mennonite Academy) went 3-6 on the day, smacking a double in game two.
Sydney Weaver (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) hit 2-3 with an RBI in the first game.
In the Circle
Gottleib struck out five batters and allowed just four hits in the game one win.
Weaver also struck out five batters in her complete game two outing, only allowing three hits.
Hood 4, Alvernia 1
Gottleib got things started with a bang, leading off with a double before being driven in just a couple batters later to give Hood a 1-0 lead.
Alvernia wasted no time scoring as well, tying things up with back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the first.
After the Blazers almost plated two more runs in the second inning, the offense came out swinging in the third, with
Bailey Pysher (Pottstown, Pa/Pottsgrove) leading off with a single followed by a double from
Hanna Janke (Calgary, Alberta, Can./Bishop Carroll) and a Weaver single to extend Hood's lead to 3-1.
It was smooth sailing for the Blazers afterward, as the Golden Wolves only managed to get two more hits while Hood plated another run in the top of the seventh to cap off the scoring for the game and end the first game with a 4-1 win.
Hood 2, Alvernia 1
Just like the previous game, the Blazers opened the scoring early, with timely hitting driving in Gottleib for what would be the only run of the game for quite some time, as Weaver kept Alvernia off the basepath until the fourth inning.
The fifth would be where trouble came for Hood, as the Golden Wolves managed to get runners on first and second, then lace a single deep enough to score the lead runner and tie the game at 1-1. Weaver would get the next batter to pop up to limit the
damage to just the one run and end Alvernia's hopes of a stronger inning.
A normal seven-inning game would not be enough to separate the two squads in this game, but the Blazers made sure not to go longer than eight innings, as Pfleiger made it to second on rip down the third base line. After
Anna Sommerkamp (Mechanicsville, Md./Chopticon) was sent in
to pinch run,
Sammy McIntosh (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) moved her to third before Janke drove her in as Hood retook the lead.
Weaver shut the door in the bottom of the inning, sending all three batters she saw back to the dugout to collect her fourth win of the season and seal the series sweep.
For the Opponent
Brooke Hauck went 2-3 with a double and an RBI in game one.
Notes
Hood improves to 10-8 (2-0) on the season, while Alvernia falls to 9-9 (0-4).
Up Next
The Blazers travel to Owings Mills, Maryland for a MAC Commonwealth doubleheader against Stevenson University Tuesday, March 25 at 3 and 5 p.m.
