SB picks up first win of season, splits with New Ken

Lemont Furnace, PA - Tuesday afternoon, the Penn State Fayette softball team picked up their first win of the season in thrilling fashion with a 3-2 walk off win against Penn State New Kensington in the first game of a double header.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the seventh, New Kensington (2-2 overall, 1-1 PSUAC) tied the game with two runs on four hits.  However, Fayette (1-11, 1-7) showed two-out resiliency to win the game in the bottom of the inning.

After the first two batters grounded out to short, Lauran Minerd (Uniontown, PA/Albert Gallatin HS) reached base when she was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a single by Hope Hixon (Armagh, PA/United HS).  Lauren Mastowski (Dawson, PA/Frazier HS) stepped up and ended the game as she drove in Minerd with an RBI single.

Fayette took a 1-0 lead in the first.  Cassidy Uphold (Grantsville, MD/Northern Garrett HS) doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a New Kensington error. 

The lead held until the sixth inning when Fayette extended it to 2-0.  Kristina Aeschbacher (Carmichaels, PA/Carmichaels HS) singled in Mastowski, who had reached on a single and then stole second.

Mastowski led the 11-hit attack with three singles.  Uphold had a double and a single while Hixon and Kelsey Holp (Grindstone, PA/Frazier HS) both recorded two singles.  Lauren Torgent led New Kensington with an RBI triple and two singles.

Hixon (1-5) earned the win on the mound for Fayette as she struck out eight batters.

New Kensington won the nightcap, 5-1, as it scored three runs in the first and two in the third.

Fayette had nine hits in the game but was not able to get on the board.  Hixon, Mastowski, Aeschbacher and Kylie Saltis (Mount Clare, WV/South Harrison HS) each had two singles.

Molly Collins led New Kensington with a double and three singles while both Riplee Burkhart and Abby Kane had three singles apiece.

Andrea Eiler earned the win on the mound for New Kensington while Hayley White (Cumberland, MD/Allegany HS) went three innings in the circle for Fayette and gave up five runs on nine hits.  White (0-4) struck out three.

Fayette will look to get back in the win column when it returns to action on Monday, April 5 when it hosts Penn State Beaver (3-3, 3-3).

For more on the Penn State Fayette softball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/sball/index.