YORK, Pa. – Riley Gerenda stranded five York (Pa.) runners in the first two innings of game one of the Albright softball team's non-conference doubleheader against the Spartans on Monday to help the Lions to a 3-1 victory in the first game. York responded with a 10-2 victory in game two.
York loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first, but a force out at the plate from
Kelly Cembrale to
Armida Roman gave Albright a second out. Gerenda finished the inning with a called strike three to get out of the jam unharmed. In the second, York put a pair of runners on after two outs, but a pop out to Cembrale again ended the inning without a run crossing.
The Lions went down in order in each of their first three at-bats, and that allowed York to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a one-out home run.
Albright got its first baserunner in the fourth.
Jordan Chell led off with a double to left center, and
Stephany Courtney moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt.
Regina Milburn tied the score with a double to right. After moving to third on a ground out, Milburn scored to give Albright a 2-1 lead thanks to a fielding error.
Chell jumpstarted the next rally in the sixth inning. She again led off with a double, and
Corinne Garuffe brought her home with a one-out single with the bases loaded. A double play ended the inning with Albright holding a 3-1 lead.
York put runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, but Gerenda induced a groundout to end the inning. York again put runners on the corners in the seventh with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended that inning, along with the game.
Gerenda allowed just the one run in seven innings. She struck out four and issued two walks. Chell had two of the team's four hits with her two doubles.
Chell got the Lions off to a fast start in game two. She led off the game with a single, and she later scored on a
Camille Sears ground out to stake the Lions to a 1-0 lead.
York responded with single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead, but the Lions pushed another run across in the third to tie the score.
Courtney reached via an error with one out, and Milburn doubled her to third in the next at-bat. Sears again grounded out to score a run, and Courtney's run made it 2-2.
The game stayed tight until the fifth. York put together back-to-back four-run innings in the fifth and sixth innings to push the game into a mercy rule decision. York had two runs on two hits through its first four at-bats, but it scored eight runs on nine hits in its final two at-bats.
Stephanie Pomante led the Albright offense in game two. She went 3-for-3 with three singles.
Albright returns to action with a MAC Commonwealth doubleheader at Stevenson on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
