Wilkes Softball Knocks Off Penn State Harrisburg and Regis Tuesday
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Wilkes University softball team walked off with a 3-2 victory against Penn State Harrisburg in its first game Tuesday at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic before finishing the day with an 8-1 win against Regis College.
With the victories Wilkes improved to 4-2 overall this season and are 3-1 through two days of action in Myrtle Beach.
The Lady Colonels trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning against Penn State Harrisburg (5-3) before mounting a rally. With one out
Jordyn Kondras (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) started the comeback with a single.
Haley Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) then moved Kondras to second with a sacrifice bunt. Wilkes then strung together four consecutive singles to score three runs for the walk off win.
Britny Jumalon (Torrance, CA/Torrance)'s base hit brought in Kondras for the first run before
Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) followed with another hit.
Kaliyah Moore (South Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) then drove in Jumalon with an RBI single to tie the game.
Haley Welker (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) then stayed back on a changeup from the Lions pitcher and lined a base knock to left-center to plate Staunton for the 3-2 victory.
In the first six innings the Lady Colonels left eight runners on base before breaking through in their final at bat.
The Lions scored their two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Staunton (1-1) earned her first victory of the season with a complete game. She allowed one earned run on seven hits and struck out four.
Celine Podlesney (Hazle Twp., PA/Hazleton) (2-3), Welker (2-3), Kondras (2-4), and Staunton (2-4) all finished with two hits for the Lady Colonels.
Five players finished Tuesday's second game against Regis (1-2) with two hits for the Lady Colonels as they racked up 14 total hits as a team in the 8-1 win. Kondras had her second two-hit game of the day going 2-4 with a RBI.
Alexis Kessler (Bangor, PA/Bangor) went 2-4 with two RBI's,
Megan Magoon (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) was 2-3 with 2 RBI's, and
Sarah Gibson (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley) and Jumalon each reached twice with hits including a double for Gibson and a triple for Jumalon.
Staunton opened the scoring for Wilkes in the top of the first when she reached on an error that scored Jumalon. The Pride responded with an RBI groundout in the bottom half of the inning to even the score.
Wilkes gained the lead for good in the third inning when Kondras grounded out to second to score Magoon. The Lady Colonels stretched the lead with four runs in the fourth inning on the strength of a
Christina Gambino (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) RBI single through the left side, a two-run single to center by Magoon, and a Kessler run-scoring single to left. Wilkes added a run in the fifth when Podlesney grounded out to bring in Jumalon and a final run in the sixth when Magoon scored on another single to left by Kessler.
Podlesney (2-1) picked up her second win of the year going all seven innings. She gave up one earned run on seven hits and struck out three.
The Lady Colonels are off Wednesday before returning to the field Thursday for two games. Wilkes begins the day against the University of Mary Washington at 9:30 a.m. before playing Mount Aloysius College at 5:30 p.m.