CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.- Juniata softball rebounded from a tough loss in Game One to hold off Wilson College 11-7 in Game Two on Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles' record now stands at 10-12 overall while the Phoenix are 7-9.
In the second game, Junaita jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Holly Bettinger (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) doubled in a run while a Chrisi Lerchen (Annville, Pa./Annville-Cleona) single scored one run and an Alicia Regnault (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) single plated two runs.
Wilson scored once in the first and once in the second to cut the JC lead to 4-2. The Eagles got both runs back on a Lerchen two-run single in the third. The Phoenix fought back with three runs in the fourth and the Eagle lead was reduced to 6-5.
The Eagles broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning to go ahead 11-5. Wilson scored twice but it was not enough as the game was eventually called due to darkness.
Jennifer Carthew (New Paris, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) picked up the win for Juniata. She gave up five earned runs, walked three batters, and also struck out three batters.
Bettinger was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and three runs batted in. Lerchen was also 2-for4 with three runs batted in and she also stole a base. Regnault finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
In the opener, Wilson had an early 1-0 lead after one inning of play. In the Juniata second, Paige Dennison (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) led off with a triple. Carthew singled to centerfield to score Dennison. Lindsey Kosicki (Patton, Pa/Cambria Heights reached on an error to put runners at second and third. Regnault struck out but Natalya Sizdahkhani (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard) hit a fly ball to right to score Carthew and Kergian Ammerman (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) singled to center to score Kosicki and the Eagles led 3-1.
JC increased its lead in the fourth on an Ammerman RBI single. The Phoenix tied the game with a three-run fifth inning. Juniata was able to take a 5-4 lead as Dennison reached first base on an error by the Wilson second baseman that scored Lerchen in the top of the seventh. The Phoenix won 6-5 on a walk-off two run double in the bottom of the inning.
Sarah Sotelo (Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic HS) started and went five innings. She gave up six hits, four earned runs, and six walks while striking out one batter. Alyssa Fasolo (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area HS) came in relief for one inning and surrendered two runs on four hits and also struck out one batter.
Ammerman went 2-for4 in the leadoff spot and had two RBIs. Bettinger was also 2-for-4.
Juniata returns to Landmark play on Friday as it hosts Elizabethtown. Game One starts at 2:00 p.m. with the second game beginning around 4:00 p.m.
