HUNTINGDON, PA- Chrisi Lerchen (Annville, PA/Annville-Cleona) pitched her first collegiate shutout in Game 1 and Holly Bettinger (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) gave up only three hits in Game 2 as the Juniata softball team swept Drew on Saturday afternoon at West End Field. The Eagles won by the scores of 6-0 and 8-5.
Juniata is now 5-9 overall and 2-0 in the Landmark while Drew is 3-13 and 0-4 in the conference. The sweep is the first for the Eagles over the Rangers since 2009.
Lerchen also gave up just three hits and walked only two. She did not allow any extra base hits.
Alicia Regnault (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) hit her first collegiate homerun and also had a double as she went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and two RBIs. Paige Dennison (East Berlin, PA/Bermudian Springs) finished 1-for-2 with a triple, a run scored, and a RBI. Brooke Walls (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) batted 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
In the second game, Bettinger surrendered five runs (three earned) and walked only one while striking out a batter. She allowed only one extra base hit.
Dennison led off the second inning with a homerun to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Rangers answered with a five-run second inning to lead 5-1.
Juniata responded back in a big way. Regnault led off with a double. Lerchen's groundout moved her to third. Kerigan Ammerman (Alexandria, PA/Juniata Valley) reached on an error that scored Regnault. Natalya Sizdahkhani (Gaithersburg, MD/Quince Orchard) walked and Dennison reached on a fielder's choice that got Sizdahkhani out at second and advanced Ammerman to third.
With runners at the corners, Katie Schroeder (Kempton, PA/Kutztown) laced a double down the right field line to score Dennison and Ammerman and Juniata now trailed 5-4. Kosicki then launched a homer to bring in three runs and gave the Eagles the 7-5 lead.
Dennison's double in the third inning scored a run to make it 8-5 Juniata. Bettinger then took over the rest of the way as she only allowed a walk in picking up the win.
Dennison had a team-high three hits with two runs scored and two RBIs. Schroeder was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Regnault finished 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
The Eagles return to action tomorrow as they travel to Selinsgrove to face Susquehanna in a doubleheader rescheduled from last weekend. Game 1 starts at 1 p.m. with Game 2 starting around 3 p.m.
