After a 7-1 victory in the first game of Friday's PSAC West doubleheader at Edinboro,
Brynnae Coe's RBI groundout in the top of the eighth proved to be the game-winner in a 5-4 Mountain Cat victory in the nightcap. Pitt-Johnstown, now 15-22 overall and 8-14 in conference-play, pulled to within a half game of Gannon for fifth and final place in the PSAC West standings ahead of Saturday's match-up with the Golden Knights in Erie.
The Mountain Cats started fast in the opener and used an RBI single from
Audrey Paterson and a
Mia Smith RBI groundout to jump out to a 2-0 first inning advantage, before Edinboro answered it its lone run in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit in half.
A leadoff double from Coe, a base hit from
Keira Link, and a walk to Kylie Metrick loaded the bases for Pitt-Johnstown with one-out in the top of the second, and
Isabella DePalma's fielder's choice ground ball chased home Coe to make it 2-0.
The Mountain Cats broke it open with four more runs on four hits in the third. With one out,
Mia Smith doubled and scored on
Gianna Surra's single. Pitt-Johnstown then filled the bases again and got an RBI single from
Meghan McDonough and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Mettrick to push it out to 6-1, before an Edinboro throwing error allowed Link to score with the seventh run.
That's all Smith would need in the circle. The senior right-hander limited the Fighting Scots to just one run on six hits in the complete game. Smith, now 8-9 on the year, fanned eight and walked one.
Coe went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs, while Paterson and McDonough each had two hits and drove in one for the Mountain Cats. Smith added a double and an RBI, and Mettrick, DePalma, and Surra all had a hit, an RBI, and a run scored.
In game two, Edinboro took a 3-0 first inning advantage, but Pitt-Johnstown came back with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Back-to-back walks to
Jessica Pugh and Coe and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. After an Edinboro error sent Pugh home and Coe to third, Coe raced home when Surra was thrown out trying to steal second.
It stayed that way until the top of the fifth. McDonough tripled home Link, who reached on a fielder's choice, and another Fighting Scots' error sent McDonough home to give the Mountain Cats their first lead of the game at 4-3.
Edinboro knotted it at four in the bottom of the frame on Bella Becker's RBI single, but Pitt-Johnstown was able to scratch out the game-winning run in the top of the eighth. Paterson reached on a two-base error, advanced to third on Pugh's ground out, and scored on Coe's ground out to second.
Avery Smiach, who picked up her first career win in relief of starter
Mahlon Yonkin, came out and pitched a perfect bottom of the eight to preserve the Mountain Cat sweep.
Smiach, now 1-4, tossed the final 3.2 innings and held the Fighting Scots hitless, while striking out three and not surrendering a walk.
Yonkin pitched the first 4.1 innings and gave up four runs (2 earned) on five hits.
McDonough had two hits, including the RBI triple, and DePalma collected two hits for Pitt-Johnstown. Coe and Surra also drove in one each.
With the sweep, Edinboro fell to 5-37 overall and 3-21 in the PSAC West.
The Mountain Cats travel to Gannon on Saturday for a pair of key PSAC West games on Saturday, before hosting their 2026 home finale against Indiana (PA) next Friday.
