Maddie Flowers banged out four hits, including her fourth home run of the season, and
Olivia Porter had three hits, but PSAC West leading California (PA) held off the Pitt-Johnstown softball team, 5-3 and 2-1, Friday afternoon in California. The Mountain Cats are now 15-16 overall and 3-5 in the PSAC West.
In game one, Caleigh Lister led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer to give Cal U an early lead, but Pitt-Johnstown answered to take the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third. Porter led off with a single and scored on
Carly Santillo's base hit through the left side, before
Tori Radvan chased home Santillo with an RBI single up the middle.
The Vulcans knotted it with a run in their half of the third, Flower's lead off home run to left field quickly gave the lead back to the Mountain Cats, 3-2.
Rister's second solo homer of the day highlighted a two-run Vulcans' fifth innings that put Cal U back on top, and Izzy Farmer's pinch-hit homer in the sixth made it 5-3.
Flowers went 2-for-2 with a homer, and Porter added two hits, including a double for the Mountain Cats. Santillo and Radvan also had hits and drove in one each.
Alyssa Hileman slipped to 9-7 after allowing five runs on 10 hits in six innings. Hileman struck out one and walked one.
Rister was 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and pitched a complete-game for Cal U. In the circle, Rister gave up three runs on six hits to improve to 11-1.
In game two,
Lauren Gohacki's fielder's choice scored
Julia Mooney to give Pitt-Johnstown an unearned run and a 1-0 second inning lead.
It stayed that way until the Vulcans tied it in the fifth on Alexa Pastor's RBI single to left field.
Cal U then scored the eventual game-winner in the bottom of the sixth of off Pitt-Johnstown starter Julia Shinavski. Brooke Wilson led off with a base hit, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored to make it 2-1 on Charity Henderson's single to center.
Shinavski, 3-2, suffered the tough loss after giving up two runs on six hits in six innings. She struck out three and walked one.
Flowers added two more hits for the Mountain Cats, while
Taylor Mendicino,
Kayla Miehl, Porter, and Santillo all had hits.
Kelsey Barron picked up the win and improved to 6-5 after allowing one unearned run on six hits in the complete-game.
With the sweep, the Vulcans improved to 17-8 overall and 7-1 in the PSAC West.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to PSAC doubleheaders at Seton Hill on Saturday, at Edinboro on Sunday, and at Clarion on Friday, before returning home to celebrate Senior Night with a PSAC doubleheader against Indiana (PA) on April 30 starting at 5:30 p.m. at V.E. Erickson Complex.
