Wilkes Softball Drops Conference Doubleheader to Arcadia
GLENSIDE, PA – The Wilkes University softball team traveled to Glenside, Pennsylvania where they would fall in their doubleheader contest against Arcadia University in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) competition this Saturday afternoon. Wilkes would fall 4-1 in the first game and 7-0 in the second game to the Knights.
The Colonels would fall to 6-4 on the year and start 0-2 in MAC Freedom action. Arcadia would improve to 9-5 this season and 2-0 in conference play.
The first game started off with Arcadia getting two runs in the first inning as Madi Costigan got on second with a single down the line and a stolen base before Allison LaRochelle hit a double to bring Costigan home and take a 1-0 lead for the Knights. With a runner on second and third, Zoey Ritter hit a single up the middle, giving LaRochelle an unearned run and giving the Knights a 2-0 lead heading into the second period.
Wilkes would get a shot at tying the game as Nicole Howell (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock Area) hit a double to right center field, advancing to third as Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) drove a single to center field and advanced to second on a throw. Juliana Presto would deny any scoring as she would strike out the next three Colonels at bat to keep the lead 2-0 for Arcadia.
The Colonels would get on the board at the top of the fifth inning as Allison Radicchi (Binghamton, NY/Windsor Central) would get a double to center field, where Megan Marshall (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) would pinch run for Wilkes. Marshall would advance to third after an error on a throw gave AJ Bryfogle (Easton, PA/Easton Area) a spot at first base, stealing second base before Taylor Douple (Fredericksburg, PA/Northern Lebanon) drove a single up the middle, bringing home Marshall and cutting Arcadia's lead to 2-1 as they headed to the bottom of the fifth.
The Knights would get two more runs in the fifth as a throwing error advanced two Arcadia player's to home plate and made the lead 4-1. Wilkes would try and comeback, but Arcadia wouldn't surrender a hit in the last two innings and secure a victory in game 1.
Hayl. Calaman would go 1-of-2 at bat with a walk on the day while Howell, Radicchi, and Douple went 1-for-3 at the plate. Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) (3-1) would suffer her first loss on the season, pitching 6.0 innings as she had two strikeouts while allowing four runs, two walks, nine hits, and an error on the day. Juliana Presto (6-2) gets the win after striking out 13 batters and only allowing one run, four hits, a walk, and an error in game 1.
The second started off slower as both teams went two full innings scoreless with Nolan Paige and Hope Mullins (Midland, VA/Liberty) keeping the game tied heading into the third inning.
Arcadia would start to get their feet going as they would score seven runs in the bottom of the third inning. A fielding error would bring a runner home to get the Knights on the board. A walk with the bases loaded would get another score for Arcadia, followed by back-to-back singles that would bring two runners home to make it 6-0. Another single would get another runner to score as the Knights would end the third inning up 7-0.
The Colonels would hold off any scoring from Arcadia as in the bottom of the fifth inning with the bases loaded, Wilkes would get a fly out to right field and finish the inning holding the Knights scoreless. Arcadia would only allow three runners on base in the last two innings, ending the game with a ground out to third base as the Colonels would conclude the series falling 7-0 in the second game.
Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) would go 1-for-2 at bat while Hannah Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) and Olivia Dougher (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) were 1-for-3. Mullins (1-2) finished the game striking out five batters, allowing seven runs and two walks in the second contest.
Wilkes will return home to the Ralston Athletic Complex this Wednesday as they host a double header against Keystone College in non-conference action that begins at 3:00 p.m.
