HUNTINGDON, Pa. — Jessie Hunt (Bath, Pa. / Northampton Area HS) continued her power surge with home runs in both games as Juniata earned a hard-fought split with Landmark Conference rival Elizabethtown on Saturday afternoon at West End Field.
In the opener, Juniata took an early 1–0 lead on an RBI single by Morgan Brumbaugh (McVeytown, Pa. / Mount Union Area HS), but Elizabethtown responded with five runs over the next five innings. Hunt launched a solo home run in the third, her second of the season, to close the gap, and the Eagles tied it 3–3 in the fourth on an error that allowed Reagan Goldsmith (Middletown, Del. / Middletown HS) to score. However, two defensive miscues proved costly in the fifth and sixth innings, as Elizabethtown capitalized with two unearned runs to take a 5–3 lead. Isabella Countryman (McKeesport, Pa. / Serra Catholic HS) allowed four earned runs over 5.1 innings and took the loss, while Gracie Ruch (Tower City, Pa. / Williams Valley HS) pitched 1.2 innings in relief without allowing a run.
Game 2 saw a strong team effort from Juniata, who used timely hitting and aggressive base running to edge the Blue Jays 5–4. Hunt gave the Eagles a lift with a two-run home run to left in the fifth inning—her third of the year—providing critical insurance after earlier RBIs from Brumbaugh, Ashley Robuck (Hamburg, Pa. / Homeschooled / Fleetwood HS), and Goldsmith. Alex Douglass (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East HS) added two hits and two stolen bases, while Abby John (Mount Airy, Md. / South Carroll HS) and Kay Magill (Sykesville, Md. / Century HS) chipped in offensively.
Maryn Swank (Portage, Pa. / Portage HS) earned the win, scattering four hits over four innings of two-run ball. Rylea Lynch (Warfordsburg, Pa. / Southern Fulton Jr/Sr HS) closed it out with three innings of relief, allowing one earned and striking out one.
With the split, Juniata improves to 7–21 overall and 1–7 in conference play, breaking a seven-game Landmark losing streak. The Eagles return to action on Monday at Mt. Aloysius.
