WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Albright Lions softball team dropped a pair of games to the Wilkes Colonels in the 2020 season opener on Wednesday afternoon at the Ralston Athletic Complex.
Wilkes captured game one by a score of 10-7 and topped Albright in game two after an early lead, 10-2.
Game One
The Lions kicked off the scoring in the third inning as first-year
Alexis Colon scored on a throwing error by Wilkes' catcher for a score of 1-0. Wilkes responded with four runs of its own in the third after four hits from the Colonels and an Albright fielding error.
A busy offensive fourth for Albright was sparked by a single from senior
Camille Sears to the pitcher before sophomore
Laura Costello was walked. Junior
Brooke Franklin singled to center field for a RBI to bring Sears home. Next up at bat, Colon reached on a fielder's choice and Costello scored on a fielding error from Wilkes to decrease Albright's deficit to just one, 4-3. First-year
Makayla Morris and senior
Brooke Yerger both reached on a fielder's choice before senior
Jessica Rodriguez singled to left field for two RBI as Morris and Colon both scored. At the end of the inning, junior
Kaitlyn Chell singled to right field for two RBI to bring Rodriguez and Yerger home for an Albright lead of 7-4.
In the fourth, Wilkes hit a homerun for a 7-5 score before adding three more runs in the fifth inning to take back the lead, 8-7. The Colonels registered two runs in the sixth for a final score of 10-7 in game one.
Rodriguez and Franklin both recorded multi-hit games while Colon scored a pair of runs.
Sears was dealt the loss for the Lions after pitching two innings with five runs and six hits. In four innings, sophomore
Allison Melahn faced 19 batters with one strikeout, and allowed five pitches and five runs. Rachel Pritchard earned the win for the Colonels after pitching 3.1 innings and allowing only one hit among 15 batters.
Game Two
Albright fell 10-2 in game two of the doubleheader after a fast start by Wilkes.
In the first inning, the Colonels tallied three runs after a double to left center and a single to center field.
First at bat for the Lions in the second, Franklin singled through the right side to reach. Costello doubled to left center before Melahn bunted for a single. With the bases loaded, Colon earned two RBI and brought Costello and Franklin in for a score of 3-2.
Wilkes registered seven runs in the following innings, including four innings in the fifth to end the game with a final score of 10-2.
Costello took the loss on the mound for the Lions after four innings and 23 batters faced, while Celine Podlesney earned the win for the Colonels after pitching all five innings with three strikeouts.
The Lions host York College (Pa.) in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 11
th for the home opener at 1 p.m.
