Championship Central

GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 2 seed Albright Lions softball team (24-15) rallied for five runs in the sixth and held on for a 6-5 win over the No. 3 seed Alvernia Golden Wolves (24-17-1) on Friday afternoon at the 2019 MAC Commonwealth Softball Tournament on the campus of Messiah College.

Albright advances to play top-seeded Arcadia in the winner's bracket tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., while Alvernia was eliminated from the tournament with a 2-0 loss to No. 5 seed Lebanon Valley on Friday.

Trailing 5-4 with runners at the corners and two outs in the sixth, senior Kelly Cembrale reached on an error charged to Alvernia 1B Emily Carmella which allowed the tying run to score and junior Brooke Yerger followed with a go-ahead RBI single to plate Stephany Courtney. The Lions trailed 5-1 at the start of the inning and loaded the bases on three straight singles before Kaitlyn Chell cleared the bases with a three-run triple down the right field line.

Junior Camille Sears (7-8) allowed an unearned run over three innings of relief and retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to earn the win for Albright. Riley Shields (11-8) was dealt the loss for the Golden Wolves after allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits to go along with a walk and a strikeout in 5 2/3 IP.

Alvernia grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Sarah Bystrycki led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a single and scored when JoAnnah Lim was caught in a rundown between second and third. The Golden Wolves added a run in the third on Shields' RBI single to make it a 2-0 game for the time being. The Lions answered with a run in the home half of the third as Cembrale reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to second on Yerger's bunt single and scored on a throwing error charged to Alvernia 2B Kerstin Koenig on the play. Alvernia responded with a pair in the top of the fourth to stretch the lead to 4-1. 

Freshman Allison Melahn got the start for the Lions and received a no-decision after giving up four runs (two earned) on eight hits while walking one and fanning one in four plus innings of work.

Yerger (2-4, RBI, SB) had a multi-hit game for Albright, while Chell, older sister Jordan Chell, senior Stephanie Pomante and Sears all added a hit and a run scored.