Lady Lions Finish Seventh in USCAA Tournament

Akron, OH - On Sunday, May 9, Penn State Beaver senior pitcher Sam Neely (Northgate High School, Pittsburgh, PA) ended her career on a high note with a win over Southern State Community College (Hillsboro, OH), 10-2. Beaver finished seventh in the USCAA Softball Tournament and were 27-20 in regular season play. This year the Lady Lions were a runner-up in the PSUAC Softball Tournament and were co-champions in the conference. 

Taking the mound in the seventh-place game of the USCAA tournament, Neely threw six innings, giving up no earned runs, two hits, while walking one and striking out two.

Beaver scored first in the top of the first inning. Freshman Chelsea Barnes (New Brighton High School, New Brighton, PA) led off with a single, and sophomore Lindsey Scialdone (Ellwood City High School, Ellwood City, PA) followed with a single. Beaver executed a double steal, and Barnes scored on a wild throw to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second inning, sophomore Katie Landis (Rochester High School, Rochester, PA) led off with a single. She advanced to second by beating the ball to the bag on a ground ball hit by Jamie Karpinski (Quigley Catholic High School, Beaver, PA). She later scored on senior Amanda Moore's (Hopewell High School, Raccoon Township, PA) ground out to give Beaver a 2-0 lead after two innings.

In the third, Beaver tacked on two more on freshman Korey Freyermuth's (Perry Academy, Pittsburgh, PA) 2 RBI triple, which scored Scialdone and senior Alonna Verrico (Rochester High School, Rochester, PA) who both singled in the inning. Southern State cut the lead in half, scoring an unearned run in the fourth and fifth to pull within two with a score of 4-2. 

Beaver ended the game in the sixth with a six-run outburst, invoking the 8-run rule and winning the game, 10-2. Freshman Alyssa Carver (New Brighton High School, New Brighton, PA) and sophomore Jessica Campbell (Beaver Falls High School, Beaver Falls, PA) both drove in 2 RBIs in the inning, and sophomore Ashley Watkins (Seneca Valley High School, Cranberry Township, PA) drove in one. Offensively, Beaver pounded out 11 hits, led by Scialdone with three and Barnes with two.