The Mercyhurst Lakers used hot bats and timely hitting to sweep a pair of PSAC Western Division softball from Pitt-Johnstown Sunday afternoon in Erie. After taking the opener, 9-1, Mercyhurst collected 15 hits in a 1103 win in game two.
Jenna Tallman and
Laura Fox each homered for the Mountain Cats, now 7-15 overall and 2-8 in conference-play.
In game one, Mercyhurst scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning, but
Jenna Tallman led off the Pitt-Johnstown half of the second with her second homer of the season to cut the Mountain Cats' deficit in half.
The Lakers answered with three more runs in the bottom of the second, and Jessica Clark's sacrifice fly in the third increased it to 6-1.
Allison Dejidas's RBI double and a run-scoring single from Brianne Egelston in the fourth made it 8-1, and Mercyhurst closed out the 9-1 win with a run in the fifth.
Tallman homered and
Ailah Charles had a base hit for the Mountain Cats.
Tori Radvan suffered the loss and slipped to 2-6 after surrendering six tuns on nine hits over the first three innings.
Kayla Miehl allowed three runs on six hits in 1.1 innings in relief.
In the nightcap,
Laura Fox's one-out solo homer in the top off the first off of game-one winner in relief Morgan Hilty gave Pitt-Johnstown to early advantage.
Audrey Paterson was hit by a pitch to lead-off the Mountain Cat second, moved to second on Charles' ground out and scored on single to left by
Mia Smith to make it 2-0.
Mercyhurst came back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, including Cheyenne Hindman's 3-run home run, to put the Lakers on top, 4-2.
The Mountain Cats didn't go away. Radvan's RBI single in the top of the fourth scored Paterson, who was hit by a pitch for the second time, to narrow it to 4-3.
However, Mercyhurst followed with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the fifth to extend it to 9-3.
Marisa Cartellone then tripled home two in the bottom of the sixth to give the Lakers the 11-3 win.
Along with Fox's homer, Radvan and Smith each and a hit and an RBI for the Mountain cats.
Smith took the loss for Pitt-Johnstown and fell to 5-5 after giving up 11 runs on 15 hits.
With the sweep, the Lakers improved to 14-10 overall and 6-2 in the PSAC West.
The Mountain Cats will host a PSAC West doubleheader against Slippery Rock on Monday starting at 2 p.m., before traveling to conference doubleheaders at Indiana (PA) on Friday and at Clarion on Saturday.
