GREENVILLE, Pa.— The Allegheny College softball team split a pair of games at Thiel College Thursday (March 28).
The Tomcats won game one 8-0 in six innings before a late rally gave the Gators a 10-8 win in game two.
Game One – Thiel 8, Allegheny 0 (6 innings)
Paige Ziggas and
Lindsey Crovak singled in the top of the second, but the Gators were unable to take advantage of the baserunners as Thiel escaped the inning unscathed.
The Tomcats broke the game open in the bottom of the third. A pair of homeruns brought five runs across the plate as they took the lead.
Ziggas earned a walk to start the fourth inning.
Jessica Valerino followed up with a single through the right side to put Ziggas in scoring position. However, Thiel once again got out of the inning without allowing a run across the plate.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Tomcats led-off with a double. A pair of singles scored their sixth runs. Then with runners on first and second, a double brought runs seven and eight in, ending the game in six innings.
Ziggas ended the game with a pair of hits, while Valerino and Crovak had one apiece.
Game Two – Allegheny 10, Thiel 8
Kelly Lafferty hit a leadoff single in the top of the first. A
Samantha Valera sac bunt moved Lafferty to second.
Kyleigh Cason reached via error, sending Lafferty around to third.
Hayley Behr followed up with a sac fly, scoring Lafferty to put the Gators in front 1-0.
The Tomcats made up the run in the bottom of the frame. A walk and a hit led to a two-out run to tie the game at one.
The Gators regained the lead in the third.
Joplin Osgood and Lafferty hit back-to-back singles with one out. Valera then singled up the middle, scoring Osgood from second. With two outs, Behr hit an infield single to load the bases. Ziggas earned a walk, bringing Lafferty home to make it 3-1.
Allegheny added two more runs in the fourth.
Emily Cramer led-off with a single. Crovak reached via error, then Osgood was walked to load the bases. Lafferty and Valera earned back-to-back walks with the bases loaded, pushing the lead to 5-1.
However, Thiel gained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Off of four hits and a pair of walks, the Tomcats scored five runs as they gained a 6-5 lead.
Thiel tacked a run on in the fifth. On three hits, the Tomcats brought a run home. They threatened for more, but
Kala Mahen ended the inning with a strikeout, stranding two baserunners.
Valera hit a two-out single down the right field line in the top of the sixth. After Cason was hit by a pitch, Behr singled up the middle, scoring Valera. Ziggas then singled to right field, scoring
Delaney Harrison-Peters, who was in to pinch run for Cason, tying the game at seven apiece.
A leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth led to a Thiel run, putting them in front once again, 8-7.
In the top of the seventh, Crovak led-off with a single to right field.
Jessica Gordon stepped in to run for her, and took second on an Osgood sac bunt. Lafferty brought Gordon home on a RBI double to left field, tying the game at eight. A wild pitch took Lafferty to third before Valera singled once again, putting the Gators in front 9-8. Cason reached on a fielder's choice, and was brought home on a RBI double from Behr hit to left center, pushing the advantage to 10-8.
Mahen shutdown the Tomcats in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the non-conference win.
Valera and Behr both went three-for-three with three RBI apiece. Lafferty went three-of-four with a pair of RBI while ZIggas also brought home two runs. Cramer also finished with a pair of hits.
Mahen picked up the win for the Gators. She struck out four in the complete game.
Allegheny is back in action Tuesday (April 2) on the road against Fredonia State.
