HAZLETON, Pa. – Penn State Schuylkill swept PSUAC opponent Penn State Hazleton in Friday's doubleheader, defeating Hazleton 4 to 2 in the first contest, and winning 10 to 7 in the second matchup.
Game One: Penn State Schuylkill 4, Penn State Hazleton 2
A single to left center by Mackenzie Carl (Tower City, PA / Williams Valley) drove in Schuylkill's first run of the contest at the top of the 1st inning. An error by Hazleton plays later gave Schuylkill two additional runs to end the top of the first.
Kaely Walshaw (Dornsife, PA / Line Mountain) went the distance on the mound for Schuylkill, allowing two hits and zero runs during the first five innings.
Hazleton began to pick up steam during the bottom of the 6th inning as a double and single to left center gave them their first run of the contest. Another single plays later brought them within one heading into the seventh.
A double to left field by Meghan Stokes (Winchester, VA / John Hadley) got things started for Schuylkill in the seventh. A single by Cealinn McGroarty (New Boston, PA / Mahanoy) on the next play drove in a Stokes run. Three consecutive outs by Hazleton at the bottom of the seventh sealed the victory for Schuylkill.
Stokes went 3-4 at bat for Schuylkill. Kristina McConnell (Port Jefferson Station, NY / Comsewogue) finished 2-3 at bat. Carl and McGroarty tallied RBIs in the win for Schuylkill.
Game Two: Penn State Schuylkill 10, Penn State Hazleton 7
McConnell got things started for Schuylkill at the top of the second with a single to right center. A single by Caitlyn Goggin plays later advanced McConnell to third base. With McConnell in position to score, Stokes singled to right field, driving in a McConnell run.
As Stokes proceeded to steal second base on the next play, a Hazleton error advanced her to third base and gave Schuylkill their second run of the contest. A single by McGroarty drove in another run for Schuylkill as they completed the top of the second up 3-0.
The 4th inning belonged to Hazleton as five hits ultimately lead to four total runs. Schuylkill would quickly respond with a dominant inning of their own during the fifth.
Two singles by Stokes and McGroarty, respectively, got things started for Schuylkill at the top of the fifth. A single by Alyssa Youst (Schuylkill Haven, PA / Blue Mountain) drove in runs for McGroarty and Carl. A single Morgan Kleckner (Hamburg, PA / Hamburg) set up what would be three Schuylkill runs following a Hazleton error. A Schuylkill error at the bottom of the 5th brought Hazleton's deficit to 8-5.
A double to left field by Stokes gave Schuylkill their ninth run of the contest at the top of the 6th inning. Stokes then proceeded to score on a wild pitch plays later to give Schuylkill a 10-5 advantage.
Two singles at the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings gave Hazleton two additional runs to bring their deficit to 10-7. Schuylkill went on to defeat Hazleton in seven.
Stokes tallied 3 hits and 2 RBIs for Schuylkill. McGroarty added two hits and an RBI, while Youst tallied 2 RBIs and a single. Walshaw won both of her pitching matchups for the day, going the distance in both matchups.
What's Next:
Schuylkill (19-13 overall, 10-6 PSUAC) will host Penn State Brandywine on Saturday, April 22nd in what will be their regular season finale. The first pitch is at 11:00 a.m. followed by a 1:00 a.m. start.
