ALTOONA, Pa. - The La Roche University softball team split their doubleheader against Penn St. Altoona Tuesday afternoon in their second conference doubleheader of the season. The Redhawks are now 3-1 in conference play and second in the AMCC standings.
Game One - La Roche 1, Penn St. Altoona 2
The first contest of the day was a pitching battle between LRU's Alexa Young and PSA's Casey Reese. Both Young and Reese pitched complete games and allowed just six hits each. Young, the AMCC Pitcher of the Week, fanned three batters, walked one batter and had just one earned run in 7.0 innings pitched. Altoona's Reese notched seven strikeouts and one earned run in 7.0 innings pitched.
Freshman Lyndsi Urani (Uniontown, PA/Uniontown) notched the Redhawks only RBI of the game in the top of the first when she hit in Ashtin Hoover on a single to right field. Altoona knocked in a run in the bottom of the second on an RBI single.
Game one remained tied 1-1 from the bottom of the second until the bottom of the seventh when Altoona scored the walk-off game winning run off a fielding error.
Inside the Box Score
LRU went 6-27 at the plate (.222 batting average) and PSA went 6-22 (.272). Neither team recorded an extra base hit.
La Roche left eight runners on base and Altoona left on three.
Ashtin Hoover went 2-3 at the plate, scored the Redhawks only run and had a stolen base. Hoover's .650 batting average is currently the best in the AMCC and ranks in the top 10 in the country.
Lyndsi Urani, Maria Schussler, Devan Smith and Alexa Young all hit singles.
Game Two - La Roche 15, Penn St. Altoona 9
The Lions came out swinging in game two, scoring six of their nine runs in the bottom of the first. PSA had five RBI singles and scored on an error. The Redhawks got on the board in the bottom of the second when Alexis Myers scored on an error. Myers made things interesting in the top of the fifth when she knocked in Ashtin Hoover and Kelly Denk on an 2-RBI single to make it 3-7.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Redhawks bat exploded for six hits and seven runs. Maria Schussler got things going with an RBI single center field. Then, Kelly Denk hit a two-run single down the left field line to score Alexa Young and Kylee Greig. After a pitching change, Ashtin Hoover advanced the runners on a bunt single.
With the bases loaded, Devan Smith put the Redhawks on top for the first time since the second inning of game one with a line drive up the middle. Smith's 2-RBI single scored Denk and Schussler. Alexis Myers kept things rolling with a single to right field before Lyndsi Urani scored Hoover on a fielder's choice. Kylee Greig hit an RBI single which scored Smith to cap off the seven run inning. The Redhawks went ahead 10-7.
PSA scored another two runs in the bottom of the sixth on three straight hits (two singles and a double) to make it a one run game. But the Redhawks offense remained hot and was determined to add to their lead. Devan Smith smacked a two-run double to left center to score Hoover and Denk and put LRU back up by three. PSA's pitcher then walked three straight batters with the bases loaded to give LRU three easy runs.
Inside the Box Score
Devan Smith went 3-4 with four RBI, a double and two runs.
The Redhawks seven runs scored in the top of the sixth is their most in single inning this season.
LRU scored a whopping 14 runs in the final three innings.
Alexis Myers went 2-3 with two RBI. Myers has had three games this season with two RBI.
Ashtin Hoover and Kelly Denk each had a game-high three runs. Hoover went a perfect 2-2 with two walks and Denk went 1-4 with two RBI.
Seven different Redhawks notched at least one RBI.
Freshman Lyndsi Urani got her second career start and victory in game two against Altoona. Urani pitched 5.0 innings and gave up just two earned runs. She is now 2-0 in her young collegiate career.
Alexa Young came in to close out game two and got the save. In 2.0 innings, Young had a strikeout and two earned runs. Young now has two saves on the season.
Up Next
LRU softball plays Pitt Greensburg for the second time this season on Thursday, April 15th at UPG. The conference doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 PM.