JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Pitt-Johnstown jumped out to an early lead to capture an 8-3 victory in game one before exploding for nine runs in the fifth inning of a run-rule shortened 12-4 win to sweep a PSAC West doubleheader over Seton Hill on Friday afternoon.
The Mountain Cats pounded out 18 hits, nine in each game, to improve to 12-15 (6-8 PSAC). They took three out of four in the season-series against the Griffins.
Senior Mia Smith became the first pitcher in Pitt-Johnstown softball history to record 400 career strikeouts, adding to a record-setting season in which she surpassed Melissa Wagner's previous program-best mark of 338.
Game 1: Pitt-Johnstown 8, Seton Hill 3
Smith didn't wait around to make history, collecting her 400th strikeout against Seton Hill's Shelby Telegdy to end the first. She earned the complete-game win to even her record at 6-6 after allowing just three earned runs on seven hits, with eight strikeouts compared to just two walks.
The Mountain Cats found a spark with two outs in the first to set the tone. Isabella DePalma walked and Taylor Lupfer followed with an RBI triple to right center that made it 1-0. Jessica Pugh reached on an error to extend the lead to 2-0.
Smith then helped herself by crushing a 2-run home run that gave the Mountain Cats a 4-0 lead that never faded away.
It remained that way until Seton Hill scored three runs on three hits to cut it to 4-3.
DePalma singled to lead off, and with one out, Pugh doubled in pinch-runner Keira Link to push it back to 5-3.
Pitt-Johnstown tacked on three more insurance runs in the sixth, including DePalma's clutch two-out, 2-run double that pushed it to 7-3. Lupfer put the exclamation mark on the inning with an opposite-way RBI double to right. Lupfer, DePalma and Sara Solberg, who reached base three times and scored a run, all enjoyed multi-hit efforts.
Game 2: Pitt-Johnstown 12, Seton Hill 4
Trailing 4-3 in the fifth, the Mountain Cats broke it open with a nine-run inning to end the game early. It marked the most runs scored in one inning this season.
While sending 14 hitters to the plate, Pitt-Johnstown drew five walks and collected five hits, including Pugh's bases loaded RBI single that evened the game at 4-4.
Brynnae Coe worked a full-count walk to give the Mountain Cats a 5-4 advantage. Gianna Surra lined an RBI single, Solberg walked and Meghan McDonough was hit by a pitch to bring in three more runs and increase it to 8-4.
Surra scored on a wild pitch, and DePalma rocketed a 2-RBI single up the middle to up the margin to 11-4. After Pugh was intentionally walked, Coe singled to bring home Kylie Mettrick to polish off the sweep.
The Mountain Cats walked four times in the first, including Pugh's bases-loaded free pass, to grab an early 1-0 edge. They tallied four hits and capitalized on a Seton Hill fielding error to notch a pair of runs in the third to go on top. Coe broke a 2-all tie with a two-out RBI single to left to bring home Mylee Gdula.
Mahlon Yonkin threw all five innings to notch the win, allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits to go along with three strikeouts and no walks.
Josie Frizzell suffered the loss for the Griffins, who fell to 17-15 (10-4 PSAC).
Pitt-Johnstown will celebrate Senior Day with a PSAC West doubleheader against California (Pa.), beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
