HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Sixth-inning rallies in both games of a Landmark Conference opener doubleheader against Elizabethtown produced a pair of victories for the Juniata softball team; game one was won 3-2, while the Eagles claimed game two 10-7.
Juniata fell two behind in the second inning of game one before a run apiece in the third, fifth, and sixth on a sacrifice fly from Kay Magill handed game one of the day to Juniata.
Cate Baran delivered her fourth complete-game win of the season, going seven innings with two hits, one unearned, six strikeouts, and two walks.
There were just six hits in the contest, and four came from the Eagles. Alison Superka delivered a sixth-inning double, while Baran (1-for-2, 1 BB), Alex Douglass (1 for 2, 1 RBI), and Kassandra Roush (1-for-2) had one single apiece. Baran and Madison Wrightstone each had one stolen base.
Baran opened the contest with three swinging strikeouts, then got aboard with an opening walk in the bottom half. A Douglass sacrifice bunt got her to second base, then a stolen base got her to third with two outs before a popout ended the frame.
The Blue Jays struck for two in the bottom half, making use of a single and walk to get two runners aboard. With two outs, another walk loaded the bases, followed by an infield error on a flyball scoring a pair of runs before Baran generated a flyout to end the inning. That was the last base runner for Elizabethtown until the seventh inning.
Juniata went down in order in the second inning, then found one run in the bottom of the third. Emily Eutsey was hit to open the frame, then Wrightstone pinch ran, then promptly stole second. Etown found a lineout and flyout before a Douglass single up the middle got one run back.
Both sides went down in order in the fourth, but Juniata got level in the bottom of the fifth. Eutsey again got aboard; this time, a one-out groundball forced an infield error from Etown to get her aboard. She was out on a fielder's choice on the next play. Baran then singled to get runners to first and second, followed by the second Blue Jays error of the inning on a ball to the shortstop to level the scoreline. A flyout ended the inning for Etown.
The final Juniata run to take the lead in the sixth started with Superka's inning-opening double. A one-out single then put runners on the corners before Magill put a ball deep enough to right field for a sacrifice fly. Baran found the first two outs before a single disrupted a streak of 15 consecutive outs. She swiftly struck out the next batter for a game-one win.
Game two saw a few lead changes in a back-and-forth contest that was ultimately settled by a four-run sixth inning for Juniata for a 10-7 victory. Maryn Swank went four innings with seven hits, two earned runs, and a walk, while Gracie Ruch closed out the game with three innings, four hits, one earned run, a strikeout, and a walk.
Juniata had five doubles, a triple, and four stolen bases in the contest and was led by Douglass (3-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 1R, 1 SB), Claire Thomas (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 2B), and Caleigh Love (2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 3B).
And up-and-down top of the first was followed by a one-run bottom half as a Baran double, and a steal of third led to her being scored by Douglass. Juniata managed one baserunner in the second and third innings, while the Blue Jays struck for two runs in the second inning, saw two Juniata errors, and one run in the third to reclaim the lead 3-1.
Swank escaped a fourth-inning jam that saw the bases loaded with one out via a fielder's choice at home and a popout. Juniata then posted five runs in the bottom half via six hits, with extra-base hits in the inning coming via a double from Superka, a Love triple, and a Douglass Double.
The score stood at 6-3, but Etown leveled the scoreline in the fifth. It took Juniata two pitchers and seven hitters to find an out after an inning-open sequence of a triple, double, two walks, and two singles. Ruch then escaped a bases-loaded jam with a popout, a fielder's choice play at the plate, and a strikeout.
Juniata had no answer in the fifth but found four runs to reclaim the lead in the sixth. A single and double got two runners in scoring position with one out, followed by a pop-out to almost allow an escape for the Blue Jays. The Eagles reignited the rally with an RBI Douglass bunt single, an infield throwing error to score two, a Superka walk, and a Thomas double for a 10-6 lead.
Two singles produced a one-out run for Etown to get within three, followed by a walk to get two runners aboard. Ruch then produced a flyout and groundout for Juniata's second win of the day.
The sweep marks the second-consecutive time Juniata has taken both games from Elizabethtown.
Juniata is back in action with a mid-week trip to Mount Aloysius. The first game of the day starts at 3:00 pm.
