Pitt-Johnstown staved off California (PA) 8-7 in game one and came from behind late to win the nightcap 4-3 and sweep a PSAC West softball doubleheader on Tuesday at Lilley Field. The Mountain Cats improved to 9-21 overall and 4-14 in the conference. They also won the season series against the Vulcans 3-1.
The Mountain Cats recorded a season-high 17 hits, including four from junior Kayla Miehl in a much-needed game one victory. Hannah Gnibus and Emilia Santiago each added three hits and combined to drive in three runs.
Miehl, who went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, blasted a 2-run homer in the top of the first after Tori Radvan doubled with one out to give Pitt-Johnstown an advantage it never let slip away.
Jenna Tallman, Julia Mooney, Miehl and Radvan all ripped singles to lead off Pitt-Johnstown's half of the third and make it 3-1. With two outs, Gnibus and Santiago smacked back-to-back RBI singles to push the Mountain Cats' advantage to 5-1.
Despite the Vulcans getting two runs back in the bottom half of the inning, the Mountain Cats answered when Miehl crushed her second home run of the day, a two-run shot to push the lead to 7-3. Gnibus led off the seventh with a single and ended up scoring a crucial insurance run when Santiago followed it up with an RBI double to deep center field.
The Vulcans put two on with two outs before freshman Avery Curran hit a 3-run home run to make it a one-run game. But Radvan induced a fly out to end the game.
Radvan (3-8) picked up the complete-game win in the circle, scattering 12 hits and giving up just four earned runs.
Caleigh Rister (7-6) suffered the loss for the Vulcans, surrendering five runs on 10 hits over 2.2 innings.
In game two, the Mountain Cats carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth before the Vulcans grabbed the advantage on Madison Lester's three-run home run.Â
Mooney led the charge for the Mountain Cats with a pair of solo home runs, including a shot that knotted the game at 3-all with the Mountain Cats down to their final two outs in the seventh. She finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Miehl walked following the game-tying blast and Radvan restored the Pitt-Johnstown lead after tripling in pinch runner Kelsi Terzolino.\
Freshman starter Mia Smith threw 134 pitches and notched the complete-game victory, allowing just three earned runs on six hits to pair with six strikeouts and three walks.
Kailey Larcinese took the loss for Cal, giving up two runs on two hits with two walks in 1.1 innings of work.
Laura Fox's walk with one out in the third helped Pitt-Johnstown crack the scoreboard in game two. She moved to second on a single by Tallman and later scored courtesy of an RBI single from Mooney.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to Edinboro for a PSAC West doubleheader on Friday with the first game set to start at 2 p.m.
