CLERMONT, Fla. – The Husson University softball team used an extra-innings walk-off to earn a doubleheader split on Monday afternoon, falling to Penn State-Behrend 6-2 in game one and beating the Wentworth Institute of Technology 3-2 in eight innings to conclude the day.
GAME 1:
In Husson's (4-2) opening game of the day, a four-run fourth inning from Penn State-Behrend (4-0) turned a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 lead and propelled the Lions to victory.
Junior Bulla McCabe got the Eagles on the board first, as she reached on a fielder's choice with runners on the corners and brought in graduate student Katie Raymond, who singled to lead-off the game.
After a two-run double from the Lions in the bottom of the third gave them a 2-1 lead, junior Tatyanna Biamby singled home classmate Tori Exel to knot the game back up at two the following inning.
The Lions didn't waste any time regaining their lead, as the first four batters of the inning reached base and scored for Penn State-Behrend, including a two-run homer that doubled its lead from 4-2 to 6-2.
The Eagles' attempt at a comeback fell short, as they left four baserunners on throughout their final three turns at-bat, as the Lions remained unbeaten on the young season.
Five Husson hitters recorded a base-knock in game one, as Raymond, McCabe, Exel and Biamby all had singles, while senior Jess Pomerleau had the only extra-base hit for the Eagles, tallying a double.
Sophomore Danielle Masterson went the full six innings in the circle for Husson, getting handed her first loss of the season, as she gave up eight hits, six earned runs and four walks, while striking out six Lion batters.
GAME 2:
Husson was back to its late-game heroics in the second game of its doubleheader, as a walk-off single from freshman Josie Cornell lifted the Eagles to a 3-2 win over the Wentworth Institute of Technology in eight innings.
After a scoreless 3.5 innings to open the game, Exel continued her sharp offensive approach, as she crushed her fifth extra-base hit of the season to right-center field and allowed freshman Camryn King to score from first-base after she led off the bottom-half of the fourth with a single.
The Eagles fell behind during the next half-inning, as the Leopards tacked on two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 2-1 edge.
Husson knotted the game back up at two in the home-half of the sixth, as Raymond did as a leadoff hitter does and reached base to start the inning after an error from Wentworth. Raymond would advance to second on the same play and got moved over to third one at-bat later, as King would ground out to the pitcher. Cornell finished the job, as she ripped a single to right-center field to bring Raymond in and tie the game up.
The game would go to extra innings after neither team could find the lead prior to the final out in the bottom of the seventh. After holding the Leopards in the top of the eighth, Raymond would move over freshman Ella Hosford, who was the ghost runner on second-base to start the inning, to third base. A King single was unable to bring in Hosford from third, but Cornell didn't waste the opportunity, as her left field single allowed the Eagles to walk it off for a second-consecutive day.
King and Cornell combined for four of the six Husson hits in game two, while Exel and junior Kiara McLeod each added a base-knock.
Freshman Ana Lang pitched eight innings of two-run ball, as she allowed eight hits and one walk, but struck-out 15 batters on the afternoon to improve to 2-1 on the season.
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow when they matchup with Penn State-Behrend for a second time in as many days at 10 a.m., in addition to battling Alfred University at 12:30 p.m.
