Fayette opens playoffs on Friday

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. – For the first time in more than a decade, the Lady Roaring Lions are poised to begin play in the PSUAC Championship tournament.

There are currently Fayette has clinched no worse that the three seed. The Lady Roaring Lions ended the regular season tied with Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Greater Allegheny with 12-6 records. Fayette would win a tie breaker by virtue of having the best winning percentage in games among the three teams.

There is an outside chance that Fayette could grab the second seed. For that to happen, Penn College must lose three of its four remaining games (doubleheaders today against Penn State Brandywine and tomorrow against Penn State Beaver). Penn College holds the tie breaker over the Lady Roaring Lions by virtue of the Lady Wildcats' sweep of Sunday's twinbill.

For the first time, the PSUAC championship will be a six-team, double-elimination tournament and will be played at Hess Field in Boalsburg, Pa. (For directions, please see the Directions Link at left).

FAYETTE AS THE SECOND SEED

As the second seed, Fayette would earn a bye into the second round and face the winner of the Penn College-Greater Allegheny Game at 4 p.m. The winner advances to the semifinals at 8 p.m. The loser will then face an elimination game on Saturday, May 3 at noon.

FAYETTE AS THE THIRD SEED

Should Penn College secure the second seed, Fayette would open play on Friday, May 2 at 2 p.m. against Brandywine . The winner of the game would advance to face Penn College at 4 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the semifinals at 8 p.m.

The loser would drop to the consolation bracket to face the loser of the Penn College-Fayette/Brandywine game will play the loser of the Mont Alto-Hazleton/Greater Allegheny game at 6 p.m.

Fayette faced Brandywine back on April 5 and swept a doubleheader by scores of 3-0 and 8-2. Jessica Stairs tossed a five-hit shutout in the opener and Moriah Kromer got the win in game two, giving up two runs on six hits.

To advance, the Lady Roaring Lions are going to have to figure out a way to limit the production of Brandywine's Stacey Macarthur who is hitting .506 (third in the PSUAC and 10th in the nation). MacArthur is also second in the PSUAC in this with 39.

The Lady Lions have also received a lift from the return of pitcher Olivia Encarnacion, who is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 10 strikeouts since returning from injury.

All games will be available via Live Stats and can be accessed by clicking on the Live Stats link