2012 PSUAC Champs- Penn State Beaver Softball

Monaca, PA-  The Penn State Beaver women's softball team are PSUAC champs for the first time since 2009.  Beaver defeated #2 seeded Penn State Mont Alto 2-1 to take the crown.

Beaver scored first, in the bottom on the first inning, to take the lead that they would never relinquish.  Sophomore Lauren Pier (New Brighton, PA) led the game off with a walk.  A Mont Alto error on Senior Lindsey Scialdone's (Ellwood/ Ellwood City, PA) sac bunt put Pier on 3rd.  Pier then scored on Sophomore Myranda Raymond's (Brashear/Pittsburgh, PA) RBI ground out.  In the bottom of the fifth, Pier reached on a walk, Scialdone again moved her to 3rd, this time on a single.  Senior Ashley Watkins (Seneca Valley/Cranberry Twp, PA) then scored Pier on an RBI single to give Beaver a 2-0 lead.  Mont Alto cut the lead in half (2-1) with two outs in the top of the sixth.  Mont Alto did get a runner to second with two outs in the seventh, but the game ended with Pier catching the final out with her back against the outfield fence.  From the mound, Sophomore Korey Freyermuth (Perry/Pittsburgh, PA) threw 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out 7, giving Freyermuth 200 strike outs on the year.  The win also gives Coach Andy Kirschner his 200th career collegiate victory, all with Penn State Beaver.

In the win, Beaver now are PSUAC Regular and Post Season Champs.  They sit at 24-16 on the year, and will return to play next Tuesday, May, 15th, in Akron, Ohio at the USCAA National Tournament.  Seeding and game times for next week have yet to be announced.

In other PSUAC news, the 2012 PSUAC Softball All-Conference Team and Awards have been announced.  Scialdone was named PSUAC Player of the Year.  Freyermuth was named Co-PSUAC Pitcher of the Year.  Coach Kirschner was named Co- Coach of the Year.  Joining Scialdone and Freyermuth on the first team All-Conference is Pier and Watkins.  Raymond and Sophomore Nicole Bowersox has been named to the 2nd team All-Conference.