MCKEESPORT, Pa. – New Kensington softball battled against Penn State Greater Allegheny on Wednesday in a doubleheader. Both teams took home a win, 6-2 (Greater Allegheny) and 8-2 (New Kensington). New Kensington improves to 6-8 in the conference and 7-9 overall.
Game 1
New Kensington began the game with two runs. In the top of the first, Riplee Burkhart (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills) and Molly Collins (Verona, Pa./Riverview) reached base back-to-back on a fielder's choice. They both advanced after an Abby Kane (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) single. An error by Greater Allegheny allowed Burkhart and Collins to cross home.
In the bottom of the inning, Greater Allegheny ran in one and bumped the score to 2-1 heading into the second.
Greater Allegheny knotted the game, 2-2, during the next inning. The home team eventually took the lead in the fourth after scoring two. It pushed further ahead two innings later and had a 6-2 advantage with the seventh inning left to play.
New Kensington had one hit in the final inning.
Courtney Biswick (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) had two RBI.
Game 2
Natalie Heltebran (Irwin, Pa./Hempfield) started the scoring for New Kensington. After reaching first on an error and making her way around the bases, Heltebran scored off a Kane single to center field.
Greater Allegheny answered back with a run of its own in the second inning which put the score at 1-1.
In the following inning, Heltebran broke the tie with another run. This gave New Kensington the 2-1 lead.
New Kensington broke away from Greater Allegheny in the top of the fourth by running in five. Tori Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) batted first and progressed to third on a Greater Allegheny error. This allowed Lauren Torgent (Tarentum, Pa./Highlands) to reach first. Torgent soon stole second. Auveonna Perkins (Arnold, Pa./Valley) was third at bat and singled which took Young home. Off an error, Torgent was next to score and Perkins advanced. New Kensington was now ahead 4-2. After walking, Calle Zmenkowski (Cheswick, Pa./Fox Chapel) made it to first. Zmenkowski and Perkins moved forward on a ground out and both scored when Burkhart reached base by an error. Burkhart used the error to get to third. Off a Kane single, Burkhart scored the final run of the inning, and New Kensington was up, 7-1.
Young scored again for New Kensington in the following inning and pushed it ahead 8-1.
Greater Allegheny saw one run in the bottom of the fifth. Scoring came to a close after that inning, so New Kensington took the game, 8-2.
Kane went 2-for-4 and led with three RBI.
New Kensington will head out to Penn State Fayette on Friday, Apr. 16 for a doubleheader with game times of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Written by Janet Surma
