Audrey Paterson hit her third home run of the season in game two, but Clarion battled back to earn a pair of PSAC Western Division walk-off victories over Pitt-Johnstown, Saturday afternoon in Clarion. The Golden Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh in the opener to claim a 3-2 win, then used a grand slam in the nightcap to erase a three run-deficit and walk-off with a 10-8.
Pitt-Johnstown is now 12-21 overall and 6-14 in conference-play.
In game one, a leadoff single from Paterson, followed by a
Mia Smith walk and
Gianna Surra's sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third for the Mountain Cats to start the top of the second inning. Clarion starter Emma Hipps got a strikeout to record the second out, but a wild pitch allowed Paterson to score to give Pitt-Johnstown a 1-0 lead.
The Golden Eagles evened it at one in the bottom of the fourth after Emily Buckleitner tripled and scored on Sabi Medrano's fielder's choice ground ball.
It stayed that way until the top of the sixth when
Meghan McDonough tripled to right-center start the inning, and
Kylie Mettrick delivered an RBI single through left side to put Pitt-Johnstown on top, 2-1.
However, the Golden Eagles put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh on a base hit and a Mountain Cat throwing error, then walked-off with a 3-2 victory on Sophie Petrash's two-run single.
Smith suffered the tough loss and fell to 6-9 after allowing three runs (2 earned) on five hits in 6.2 innings. Smith fanned four and didn't allow a walk.
Along with a triple from McDonough and a double from Surra, Mettrick singled and drove in one, and
Isabella DePalma and Paterson both had hits for Pitt-Johnstown.
In game two, The Mountain Cats struck for a run in the top of the first. Metrrick was hit by a pitch, stole second, and came around on to score on DePalma's one-out single up the middle.
Clarion answered with three runs in the bottom of the first off
Avery Smiach, including Ainsley Perdicaris' two-run double down the right field line, then added two more in the second on a wild pitch and Medrano's RBI single to make it 5-1.
The Mountain Cats came right back with five runs in the top of the third. Back-to-back singles from McDonough and Mettrick and Depalma's run-scoring double cut it to 5-2, before Paterson connected for a long three-run homer to left to knot it at five. Surra then drew a walk, moved to second on Smiach's sacrifice bunt and gave Pitt-Johnstown a 6-5 advantage after scoring from second on a Golden Eagle throwing error.
Brynnae Coe's two-out single RBI single to right, and
Keira Links run-producing double to the gap in left-center in the top of fifth pushed it out to 8-5.
A run in the bottom of the sixth off Pitt-Johnstown reliever
Mahlon Yonkin got Clarion back to win two runs, before the Golden Eagles began the bottom of the seventh with three straight singles to fill the bases ahead of Delany Davison's grand slam to right-center field that gave Clarion its second straight walk-off win.
Paterson belted the three-run homer, Coe went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run, and DePalma added two hits, including a double, and drove in two in the Mountain Cats' nine-hit attack.
Yonkin took the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits over the final four-plus innings to fall to 6-8. Yonkin fanned seven and didn't surrender a walk. Smiach tossed the first two inning and allowed five runs on six hits.
Clarion improved to 12-21 overall and 6-13 in the PSAC West.
The Mountain Cats travel to Bloomsburg for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday and to Edinboro and Gannon next weekend for PSAC West doubleheaders. Pitt-Johnstown will then host Indiana (PA) in its 2026 home finale on May 1.
