SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, PA - Penn State Schuylkill Softball split their home opener against NCAA Division III opponent Cairn University, falling to Cairn in the first matchup and winning by a huge margin in the second contest.
Game One: Cairn University 5, Penn State Schuylkill 3
A single by Cairn at the top of the 1st inning gave them a 1-0 lead early in the contest. A double at the top of the 3rd inning extended Cairn's lead to 2-0. Caitlyn Goggin (Alexandria, VA / Hayfield Secondary School) recorded the first hit for Schuylkill during the 3rd inning.
Schuylkill began to heat up at the bottom of the 4th inning with consecutive singles by Kaely Walshaw (Dornsife, PA / Line Mountain) and Alyssa Youst (Schuylkill Haven, PA / Blue Mountain), respectively. Kristina McConnell (Port Jefferson Station, NY / Comsewogue) perfected the trifecta for Schuylkill as her single led to a Walshaw run.
Cairn continued to find an answer as a single at the top of the 5th led to two runs, extending their lead to 4-1. A single by Morgan Kleckner (Hamburg, PA / Hamburg) at the bottom of the 6th led to another Walshaw run. An error at the top of the 7th ultimately led to a Cairn run. A triple by Meghan Stokes (Winchester, VA / John Hadley) at the bottom of the 7th set her up for a run the very next play. Cairn went on to close out Schuylkill 5-3 in seven innings.
Stokes and Walshaw finished with two hits each for Schuylkill. Walshaw, Melanie Torrales (Allentown, PA / William Allen), and Miranda Hess (New Columbia, PA / Milton) each split time on the mound.
Game Two: Penn State Schuylkill 9, Cairn University 1
A double by Walshaw at the bottom of the 1st got things started for Schuylkill in the second contest as it led to a Cealinn McGroarty (New Boston, PA / Mahanoy) run. A single by Cairn at the top of the 3rd inning led to a run, evening things at 1-1.
A strong 4th inning for Schuylkill began with a triple by Kleckner on the first play. McConnell followed up the huge play with a single, leading to a Kleckner run. With bases loaded for Schuylkill. Mackenzie Carl (Tower City, PA / Williams Valley) connected on a single, leading to two more Schuylkill scores to give them a 4-1 lead heading into the 5th inning.
Schuylkill carried over the momentum to the next frame beginning with back to back singles by Youst and Kleckner. A McConnell double led to a Youst run. Torrales then singled, leading to a Kleckner run. A Walshaw double at the bottom of the frame led to another Schuylkill score. Schuylkill scored a total of 5 times during the 5th inning, extending their lead to 9-1 and closing out Cairn.
McConnell led Schuylkill with 3 hits and 2 RBIs. Walshaw and Carl finished with 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Kleckner tallied 2 hits including a triple. Walshaw went the distance on the mound, winning her matchup allowing 3 hits and 1 run.
What's Next:
Schuylkill (9-5 overall, 2-0 PSUAC) will return to conference play this Sunday, as they host Penn State Du Bois in a double header matchup. The first pitch is at 2:00 p.m. followed by a 4:00 p.m. matchup.
