Reading, PA- The Penn St. Berks Softball Team dropped their home opener doubleheader to Misericordia University on Wednesday, March 20, falling 2-1 in game one before dropping game two 4-1.
The Lions (3-7 Overall) and the Cougars (11-4 Overall) were locked in a pitchers' duel in the first game of the day as neither team was able to find much offensive success. Â Misericordia managed to put a run on the board in the top of the second inning to grab the early lead, but Berks answered back in the bottom of the third inning.
Kylie Krauss drew a walk to lead off the inning and
Peyton Vivian drove a single through the right side to put runners on first and second. After
Anna Laughlin moved the pair into scoring position,
Jaredis Flores hit a hard ground ball to third, allowing Krauss to slide under a throw and score to tie the game at one.
Berks got a strong pitching performance from
Paige Brightwell, who held the Cougars to only seven total hits while striking out nine. Misericordia managed to plate a second run in the top of the sixth inning, taking a 2-1 lead. Berks could not get another base runner in the final two innings, eventually dropping game one.
The Lions tried to bounce back in game two, but the Cougars plated three runs in the third inning to grab the early lead. Berks were able to get a couple of runners on base early in the game, but they could not break through. Misericordia tacked on another run in the fourth inning to extend their advantage.
Berks finally got the offense going in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Autumn Weil led off the inning by driving a single through the left side.
Maura Gorman was hit by a pitch to put a pair of runners on base, and then
Laurel Zubler laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring positions. Krauss lifted a single into center field, allowing Weil to score and cut the deficit down to three. The Blue & White were not able to pull any closer, falling by a score of 4-1.
The Lions had another solid pitching performance, this time from the duo of
Mallory Duff and Gorman. Duff pitched the opening four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Gorman came on in relief, shutting down the Cougars, holding them scoreless while allowing only three hits.
WHO'S NEXT
The Lions will be back in action when they host Gwynedd Mercy University on Saturday, March 22. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 PM.
FOLLOW US
Fans can keep up with Penn St. Berks Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube using the handle @BerksAthletics.
Â