Taylor Hoover and
McKenna Kern each hit homeruns, and
Melissa Wagner three a two-hitter to lead the Pitt-Johnstown softball team to a 7-2 win over Clarion in Friday's first game of a PSAC Central Division doubleheader at V.E. Erickson Complex. Clarion took the second game, 7-0. Pitt-Johnstown is now 14-18 overall and 3-11 in the PSAC Central.
In the opener, Pitt-Johnstown used a sixth-run fifth inning and got a two-hitter from Wagner in the 7-2 win.
Hoover's solo home run in the bottom of the fourth gave Pitt-Johnstown a 1-0 lead, before the Mountain Cats broke it open with six more in the fifth.
Amber Maurer and
Morgan Cannin both reached on bunt singles, and Kern followed two batters later with a three-run homer to left center to make it 4-0.
Kelsey Feeney,
Ashley Shor, and
Amber Maurer all had two-out RBI singles to close out the six-run inning and push the lead to 7-0.
Clarion broke up Wagner's no-hit bid with a one-out single in the sixth and went on to score a pair of unearned runs, but that was as close as it would get.
Wagner finished the complete-game and improved to 10-7. Wagner allowed the two unearned runs and gave up just two hits. Wagner also struck out nine and walked one.
Kern was 2-for-3 with the three-run homer, Hoover hit a solo home run, and Maurer had two hits and drove in one for Pitt-Johnstown. Cannin also had two hits and scored a run.
In game two, Clarion took a 1-0 led with an unearned run in the top off the first inning, before Cassidy Runyan's two-run home run to right field in the Golden Eagles' second made it 3-0.
Haley Pszyk's sacrifice fly in the third gave Clarion another unearned run.
After Clarion added another run in the third, Haley Pszyk belted a three-run home run in the fifth that set the final at 7-0.
Marley Elbin,
Allison Rizzo,
Amanda O'Toole,
Lyndsey Weiser, Cannin, and Feeney accounted for the six Pitt-Johnstown hits.
Wagner started and took the loss after surrendering three runs on three hits over the first two innings.
Samantha Frey pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up five runs, and
Emily Moore didn't allow a hit in the final 2 1/3 innings.
With the split, Clarion is now 6-36 overall and 2-12 in the PSAC Central.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to Lock Haven for a PSAC doubleheader on Saturday, before hosting a conference doubleheader against Bloomsburg on Friday starting at 2:30 p.m. at V.E. Erickson Complex.
