READING, Pa. – The Albright softball team entered the final MAC Commonwealth doubleheader of the season on Saturday against Arcadia with a chance to clinch a spot in the conference tournament next week. The Lions, however, ran into strong pitching and a good hitting lineup as Arcadia took both ends of the doubleheader, 6-0 and 7-0.
In game one, the Knights jumped ahead early as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning and single runs in the second and third innings. In the first, Arcadia scored its four runs on four hits. Three of the four runs came after two outs. An RBI double and a two-run single helped turn it into a big inning for the Knights.
Trailing 6-0, the Lions loaded the based in the bottom of the fifth in an attempt to get back into the game.
Stephanie Pomante led off with a single. After an out,
Jessica Rodriguez also singled, and with two outs,
Jordan Chell's infield single loaded the bases.
Abigail Lord sent a grounder into the hole at short in the next at-bat, but the Knights managed to get a force at third base to end the threat.
In the bottom of the sixth,
Camille Sears doubled with one out for the Lions' only extra-base hit of game one, but she didn't score.
In game two, Arcadia again jumped ahead in the top of the first, but only with a single run, also scored after two outs. The score stayed there for much of the game. In the bottom of the first, Albright got singles from
Regina Milburn and
Camille Sears after two outs, but a fly out ended the frame.
In the third, the first two Lions were retired before Milburn began another rally reaching on an error. Sears followed with her second hit of the game, and
Armida Roman walked to load the bases. A pop out to second kept Albright off the board, though, with Arcadia clinging to a 1-0 lead.
Arcadia scored a pair on a two-run single in the top of the fifth inning to make it 3-0, and the Knights dealt the fatal blow in the top of the seventh with a grand slam to reach the final margin of 7-0.
Sears' two-hit game gives her three multi-hit games this season. Lord had hits in both games to extend her hitting streak to eight games.
Albright concludes the season on Tuesday afternoon with a home non-conference doubleheader against Juniata at 3 p.m.
