The Greater Allegheny Women's softball team's win streak grew to four after picking up a pair of victories at Penn State Beaver on March 26, 2021.
Game 1 saw GA jump out to an early lead in the top of the 1st inning, thanks to back to back RBI singles by Maura Ryan (Monroeville, PA/Gateway HS) and Tara Love (Chandler AZ/Campo Verde HS). Beaver quickly countered in the bottom of the 1st with a 2-run home run, knotting the score at 2-2.
GA mounted a rally in the top of the 3rd, scoring four runs all with two outs. It started with a double off the bat of Alyssa Guzzie (Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel HS) that scored Ryan. Back to back RBI singles by Samantha Snashell (Buffalo, NY/Charter for Applied Technology) and Makenzie Peters (Beech Creek, PA/Central Mountain HS) kept the rally going by driving in three more runs. Once again, Beaver countered in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own to make the score 6-5 after three innings.
GA picked up a run in the 5th when Guzzie scored on a passed ball to make it 7-5. In the 6th inning, Beaver cut the lead to one by taking advantage of a GA defensive error. The defense would lock it down after that.
Christina Pasinski (McKeesport, PA/East Allegheny HS) knocked in one more run for GA in the top of the 7th to round out the scoring, with the final score of the game coming to 8-6.
Pasinski accounted for three of GA's 15 hits in the game. Love, Ryan, Guzzie, Snashell, and Ivy Mervis (Pittsburgh, PA/Taylor Allderdice HS) all contributed two hits apiece. Love picked up her second win of the season, striking out four in her complete game performance.
Game 2 was a lower scoring pitcher's duel type game. Beaver hopped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first off of a defensive error to make the score 1-0.
GA's only scoring of the game would come in the 3rd inning. Ryan hit an RBI double that scored a run. Love then hit a ball to center, and the team took advantage of a defensive error, scoring two more runs on the play to make the score 3-1.
Beaver cranked a home run in the bottom of the 5th inning to cut the lead to one run, but it would not be enough. GA's defense stranded runners on base in the 6th inning, and got three straight outs in the 7th to hang on for the sweep.
Ryan took the mound in Game 2, throwing a complete game and striking out 10 batters, including the game ending strikeout in the bottom of the 7th. She also picked up her second win of the season.
GA moves to 4-2 on the season and in the conference. They have a quick turnaround as they head home for a rematch doubleheader against Penn State Beaver on Saturday, March 27th at 1pm and 3pm.
-Danielle Kochka
