Beaver Stays Alive With Win Over UMPI
Lady Lions Down the Owls, 6-2.
Akron, OH -- Beaver and UMPI squared off in the first game of the loser's bracket of the USCAA Softball Championship Tournament.
After three scoreless innings to start the game, Beaver opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a Vanessa Jackson (Snohomish, WA / Snohomish) walk, Beaver's next two batters grounded out. Sarah Foose (New Bloomfield, PA / West Perry) rallied with two outs with an RBI single to score Searra Thumm (Beaver Falls, PA / Beaver Falls), who pinch ran for Jackson, to give Beaver a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Lions kept their momentum in the bottom of the fifth after holding UMPI hitless in the top of the inning. Again, rallying with two outs, Brittany Garza (La Feria, TX / La Feria) got things started with a single and a stolen base to put herself in scoring position. Senior, Rachael Charlier (Burgettstown, PA / Burgettstown), singled to score Garza for her first RBI in the game. After another Jackson walk, Brenna Cepull (Monaca, PA / Central Valley) hit a 2 RBI double to score both Charlier and Jackson, expanding Beaver's lead to 4-0. The Lady Lions kept the hits coming as Jenna Petrucci (New Castle, PA / Shenango) singled and stole second to put another 2 runners in scoring position, with Cepull on third. Foose came through for the second time in two innings with a 2 RBI single, for her third run batted in of the game, giving Beaver a 6-0 lead at the end of the fifth inning.
The University of Maine Presque Isle tried to keep their hopes alive scoring a run in both the sixth and seventh innings, but the singy defense of Beaver proved to be too much for the Owls to overcome as Beaver went on to win by a final score of 6-2.
Foose and Cepull led the Lady Lions offensively as they each went two for three in the game.
In the circle for Beaver was Foose who threw a complete game giving up just four hits in 28 batters faced.
The win keeps #8 Beaver alive in the tournament and they will take on PSUAC rival #10 Penn State Brandywine tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. in a re-match of the PSUAC Championship game.