CLERMONT, Fl. – The Juniata softball team put on an offensive show in Clermont, Fl. as they defeated Mount Ida 8-2 and Waynesburg 11-10 Sunday morning.
Game One – Juniata vs. Mount Ida
The Mustangs took an early 2-0 lead in the top half of the first. JC responded quickly as Paige Dennison (East Berlin, Pa. / Doane Academy) hit a leadoff single that turned into a run on two Mt. Ida errors.
Lindsey Kosicki (Patton, Pa. / Cambria Heights) and Abby Ebright (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) pulled off a double steal that put the two in scoring position with Holly Bettinger (Hummelstown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin) at plate. Bettinger hit a sacrifice bunt that brought in Ebright for the tying run.
A quick 1-2-3 inning brought the Juniata offense back to plate.
Natalya Sizdahkhani (Gaithersburg, MD / Quince Orchard) got things started with a single up the middle. Brooke Walls (Mifflinburg, Pa. / Cambria Heights) followed with a bunt-single. Dennison would be hit by the pitcher, setting up a bases-loaded situation from Ebright.
On an 0-2 count, Ebright singled out to right field to bring in Sizdahkhani and give Juniata a 3-2 lead. Walls later scored on an error by the catcher before Jennifer Carthew (New Paris, Pa. / Chestnut-Ridge) singled out to left field to bring in Dennison. Juniata left the inning with a 5-2 lead.
The Eagles would pull off another double-steal in the bottom of the fourth, this time to earn a run. As Allie Baney (State College, Pa. / State College Area) took second, Carthew stole home and it was 6-2 JC.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kosicki approached the plate with runners at the corners and one out. Kosicki would ground out to short to bring in Kerigan Ammerman (Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley) . Ebright stole second with Bettinger at the plate for the Eagles. A fielding error brought Ebright home and allowed Bettinger to reach first. Juniata would go on to hold their 8-2 lead the remainder of the game.
Chrisi Lerchen (Annville, PA. / Annville-Cleona) picked up the win on the mound for Juniata as she tossed four complete innings, struck out two and allowed just two runs on five hits. Sarah Sotelo (Fairfax, Va. / Paul VI Catholic) and Maddie Garrick (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) stepped in as relief and held the Mustangs scoreless.
Game Two – Juniata vs. Waynesburg
With Waynesburg taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom half of the first, Juniata once again looked to the bats early.
Lerchen got the offense started with a single to left center in the top of the second. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Sizdahkhani. With two outs, Lerchen stole third in hopes of setting a spark to the offense.
An error from Waynesburg right fielder Cameron Grimes resulted in Walls and Lerchen both crossing the plate. With two outs and the team down by one, Ammerman stepped up to the plate and blasted a solo shot deep to center field.
The Juniata defense would shut Waynesburg out in the bottom half of the inning.
The Yellow Jackets picked up two in the bottom of the third to regain the lead.
An offensive explosion in the fourth would bring in five runs for the Eagles. With two on, Walls doubled out to center to bring in Sizdahkhani. Ammerman followed with an RBI-single to right that brought in Baney. A single down the first base line from Dennison brought in Walls.
With one out, Carthew grounded out to the pitcher to bring in Dennison. Ebright then scored on a wild pitch to score the final run of the inning.
The Eagles picked up a solo run in the top of the sixth when Garrick grounded out to short, bringing in Ammerman.
Waynesburg tied up the game with four runs in the bottom half of the sixth.
A scoreless seventh frame sent the teams into a tiebreaker.
With one out, Walls singled out to right field to bring in Sizdahkhani. Ammerman then reached on a fielder's choice. A single from Dennison brought in Ammerman for the eventual game-winning run.
In the bottom half of the eighth, the Yellow Jackets would score on a groundout to Sotelo. Walls would catch the pop out to right field to end the inning and secure the win for Juniata.
Sotelo earned the win on the mound for the Eagles. She gave up just one hit, one walk and one run in two innings.
Carthew was the starting pitcher for JC against the Yellow Jackets. Carthew and Kelsey Doell (Burlington, NJ / Doane Academy) tossed three innings a piece.
Juniata returns to action Monday morning at 9 a.m. as they take on the Monks of St. Joseph's (Me.).
