HUNTINGDON, PA- Chrisi Lerchen (Annville, PA/Annville-Cleona) pitched her second career shutout and Holly Bettinger (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) slammed a three-run homerun in the fifth inning as the Juniata softball team defeated Pitt-Greensburg 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at West End Field. Lerchen gave up only four hits and two walks. She struck out one batter.
The Eagles put one run up in the bottom of the first. The bases were loaded when Bobcat pitcher Claire Welka walked Lindsey Kosicki (Patton, PA/Cambria Heights) to score Paige Dennison (East Berlin, PA/Bermudian Springs). Bettinger reached on a fielder's choice and Brooke Walls (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) was out at home plate. Kerigan Ammerman (Alexandria, Juniata Valley) popped out to shortstop and Katie Schroeder (Kempton, PA/Kutztown) struck out swinging to end the inning.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth. Walls led off with a single and Alicia Regnault (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) sac-bunted to move her to second. Kosicki was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Bettinger bashed a homer to right field to bring in three runs.
Lerchen ran into some trouble in the seventh inning. Casey Hamilton was hit by a pitch. A fielder's choice got Marley Lafferty on base and Hamilton was tagged out at second. Amanda Leschak singled to put runners on first and second. The Bobcats tried to put the double steal but Lafferty was called out at third. The threat ended when Kaitlyn Armstrong flied out to right field.
Walls finished 2-for-3 with a run scored in the game. Dennison (1-for-4, run), Regnault (1-for-1), and Ammerman (1-for-3) all had doubles for the Eagles. Bettinger's homerun was her second of the season.
The second game saw Juniata lead 2-0 after two innings of play but a four-run third for Pitt-Greensburg was all it needed in a 6-3 win. Bettinger started on the mound and gave up 11 hits, six earned runs, four walks, and struck out one. She fared better at the plate as she went 3-for-3.
In the bottom of the second, Bettinger led off with single and Ammerman followed with a single of her own. Kassie Tafolla (Donna, TX/IDEA College Prep) came in to pinch run for Bettinger. Schroeder reached on an error by the Bobcat shortstop, which allowed Tafolla to score. After Lerchen struck out swinging, a passed ball allowed Ammerman to come home and JC led 2-0.
After the Bobcats took the lead in the third inning, they tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth to lead 6-2. The Eagles got a run back in the bottom portion to cut the lead to 6-3, but that would as close as they would get as Pitt-Greensburg hung on for the win.
Juniata returns to Landmark Conference play on Saturday when they play a doubleheader at Elizabethtown. The first game will start at 1 pm with the second one following at 3 p.m.
