Lady Lion Softball Swipes Two-Win Day over Mont Alto

Mont Alto, Pa. - In a pair of Penn State University Athletic Conference matches, the Penn State Greater Allegheny women's softball team swiped a pair of victories at Penn State Mont Alto, Thursday afternoon, by margins of 6-0 and 15-8.

Game one kicked off in the top of the second, when Greater Allegheny came to bat. Freshman second baseman Michaela Henderson (Bowie, Md./Bullis School) singled to left field to drive home freshman third baseman Raeann Sleith (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) as well as freshman right-handed pitcher Lacie Lautner (Pleasant Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson).

Senior center-fielder Shelby Bendick (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport) doubled to right-center to score Henderson and freshman shortstop Savannah Simm (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin), 4-0 Greater Allegheny. 

Two more runs were posted by GA in the top of the seventh. Sleith reached first on an error by the shortstop, pushing freshman catcher Sydney Fritchman (Carnegie, Pa./Carlynton) to score. Freshman left-fielder Hayley Maksin (Port Vue, Pa./South Allegheny) waled to push freshman first-baseman Morgan Lancaster (Wellsburg, W.Va./Brooke High) to post the final run of the first contest, 6-0.

Lautner was on the bump for the complete game, her first shut-out win of her collegiate career. The freshman sat 11 of her 26 batters down on strike-out. Allowing just five hits through the game, Lacie moved just one batter to first on balls. The righty also scored one run.

Lancaster went 3-of-4 with one run scored as Henderson went 2-of-3 with two runs batted in and one run scored herself.

Game two got underway as GA was able to put runs on the board in the second and third innings.

Henderson singled through the left side to score Lautner before Sleith doubled to right center, scoring Fritchman, 2-0.

Mont Alto sliced the lead in half in the bottom of the third before the Maksin reached first on an error by the third baseman, scoring Lautner, 3-1.

The home team went on a run wih five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take their first lead of the day, 6-3.

The top of the sixth brought a Bendick homerun to left-field, scoring Henderson as well. Simm singled through the left side to score Fritchman, tying the game at six.

One more from Mont Alto gave the home team the lead again before Lancaster singled to score Henderson to tie it up again, 7-7.

Extra innings brought a big top eight for Greater Allegheny as freshman outfielder Courtney Shadd (Hanover Park, Ill./Bartlett) singled to right-field to score both Simm and Lautner. Henderson singled to score Shadd. Fritchman singled to right-field to bat home Henderson before Lancaster singled to center-field, adding Fritchman and Bendick to the scorecard. Lauter reached first on an error by the right-fielder before scoring herself and Lancaster, finishing the top with a GA lead 15-7.

Mont Alto managed a run in the bottom of the inning but the lead was too much for them to come back from, 15-8 Greater Allegheny.

Lautner got her second win of the day with three innings pitched, sitting seven of her 14 batters down on strike-out. Lacie is now 4-2 on the mound. In the field, the freshman went 1-for-6 with four runs scored and one RBI.

Henderson went 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI while Fritchman posted 3-of-5 with threets runs and one run batted in. 

Greater Allegheny (4-8, 3-5 PSUAC) looks onward to play Mont Alto again, Saturday afternoon. The first pitch of the double-header is set for 2 p.m.