VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Allegheny softball team concluded their opening weekend trip to Virginia with a pair of games against Bethany and seventh-ranked Virginia Wesleyan Saturday.
 
Game One – Bethany 15, Allegheny 14
 
The Gator offense came alive in the second inning, plating nine runs.  Kelly Lafferty (Suffolk, Va./Nansemond River) had a two RBI double in the inning while Hayley Behr (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Samantha Valera (Chicago, Ill./Lane Technical) also drove a run home with a double.  Paige Ziggas (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) and Allison Rose (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) had a RBI single each.  Kyleigh Cason (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E Kellam) drove in a run on a sac fly while two Gator runs were scored on wild pitches.
 
The Bison took over the lead after a four run third and a six run fourth.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Gators fought back to regain the lead. A Delaney Harrison-Peters (Silver Springs, Md./Walter Johnson) sacrifice brought Ziggas home to notch the game up at 10.  Behr smacked another double, scoring Kaylin Tang (Vienna, Va./South Lakes).  Joplin Osgood (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) followed up with a two RBI double that brought Courtney Neal (Landsdale, Pa./North Penn) and Cason across the plate.  Later in the inning with two outs, Valera singled through the left to score Osgood, making it 14-10 in favor of the Gators. 
 
Bethany pulled within two with a pair of runs in the fifth.  In the sixth, they added three more to take the lead, 15-14.
 
The Gators were unable to produce a run in the top of the seventh as Bethany held on for the win.
 
Valera ended the contest with a four-for-four appearance at the plate with a pair of RBI.  Lafferty, Behr and Osgood also drove in two runs apiece. 
 
Game Two -- #7 Virginia Wesleyan 16, Allegheny 5
 
The seventh-ranked Marlins got to work early, plating eight runs in the bottom of the first.
 
The Gators loaded the bases in the top of the third, with singles by Behr and Cason.  Valera was brought home on a walk before Espy Zuniga (Boerne, Texas/Samuel V Champion) hit a two RBI single to left field.  Carolyn Sidell (Salisbury, Md./James M Bennett) followed up with a RBI single up the middle, cutting the lead to 8-4.  Ziggas capped off the inning by bringing Zuniga across the plate with a single as the Gators cut the deficit to three runs.
 
However, the Marlins scored one in the bottom of the frame, and seven in the fourth to collect the five-inning win.
 
Sidell had a pair of hits with a RBI.  Zuniga had two RBI while Valera and Ziggas had one apiece.
 
The Gators are back in action March 14 as they take on Wisconsin-Superior and Crown in Florida.