Roaring Lions Fall to Carlow in Doubleheader
March 28, 2012
HOPWOOD, Pa. - Penn State Fayette's bats woke up in game two, but it was not enough as Carlow swept the Roaring Lions in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday night at William Buehner, Sr. Field at Hutchinson Park. Carlow took game one, 6-0, before pulling away from the Roaring Lions with six runs in the seventh inning in game two to win, 13-5.
Freshman Moriah Kromer (Mount Pleasant, Pa.) went 4-for-6 with two RBIs over two games, and freshman Katie Volek (Smithfield, Pa.) added three hits in game two as Fayette notched nine hits in the second game after managing only three in the first.
Kromer took the loss in game two, while freshman Jessica Stairs (Mount Pleasant, Pa.) earned a loss in the first game.
GAME ONE: Carlow 6, Penn State Fayette 0
Stairs held the Celtics scoreless through four innings, allowing only two hits. But the Roaring Lions couldn't plate any runs, and Carlow took advantage to open up the scoring in the top of the fifth.
After a walk and a sacrifice bunt, a groundout left Carlow with two outs and a runner on third. Rachel Blonski singled through the left side for an RBI, and Meghan Dulaney followed with a single of her own, with both runners advancing on an errant throw. Shelby Rodgers doubled both runners home with a line drive to right field, and Carlow had a 3-0 lead.
Fayette went in order in the home half of the fifth, and Carlow added a fourth run in the sixth. Despite Kromer's second hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth, Fayette could not push across any runs.
Rodgers doubled to lead off the seventh, and Emily Pritts added an RBI single for a 5-0 advantage. Erika Weimer eventually singled home Pritts for the final run, as Carlow shut out Fayette, 6-0.
Kromer finished 2-for-3 with two singles, and freshman Shelby Dziak (Eighty Four, Pa.) added Fayette's only other hit in game one.
Stairs pitched seven innings, giving up 10 hits and six runs in the losing effort. Melissa Constantini earned the win for the Celtics, pitching a complete game three-hitter, striking out four.
GAME TWO: Carlow 13, Penn State Fayette 5
After setting down Carlow in order in the top of the first, Fayette got on the board in the home half of the first. Dziak doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on a groundout by Kromer. Volek plated the Roaring Lions' first run with a line drive single up the middle for a quick 1-0 lead.
Carlow answered with a run in the second, two more in the third and three in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. After two scoreless home innings, Fayette cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fourth. After a pop-up and a walk, senior Elizabeth D'Auria (Connellsville, Pa.) reached on an error. Sophomore Paige McWilliams (Connellsville, Pa.) sacrificed runners to second and third, and sophomore Samantha Virgillo (Connellsville, Pa.) singled through the left side to plate D'Auria and sophomore Stephanie Longo (Point Marion, Pa.). Dziak doubled to left center, and Kromer singled to center field to score Dziak and Virgillo and make it a 6-5 game.
Each team managed a single in the fifth, but no runs were scored. Carlow pushed across their seventh run in the sixth for a 7-5 lead, and despite a double from Volek in the home half of the sixth, the Roaring Lions could not score. The Celtics capitalized on three Fayette errors in the seventh, plating six runs for a 13-5 lead, and Fayette went down in order to end the game.
Kromer finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Volek went 3-for-4 with one RBI. Dziak went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.
Kromer struck out five and gave up 13 hits in seven innings, but only five of her 13 runs were earned.
Fayette begins conference play on Saturday, March 31 with a doubleheader at Penn College before traveling to Valley Forge Christian College on Sunday, April 1.