Nine Runs in the Third Inning Helps Wilkes Softball Sweep Delaware Valley
EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University softball team scored nine runs in the third inning in the second game of their doubleheader sweep over Delaware Valley University in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) competition in Sunday afternoon action at the Ralston Athletic Complex. Wilkes would hold off a late Delaware Valley comeback and win game one 2-1 while the Colonels ran away with game two 12-0 in five innings over the Aggies.
Wilkes would improve to 10-4 on the season and go 2-2 in MAC Freedom action. Delaware Valley would drop to 4-13-1 this year, dropping to 0-4 in the conference.
The first game started off with an early lead for the Colonels as Hana Cross (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick) would score for Wilkes. Cross would walk to first base and steal second, setting up a run off a Hannah Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) double to center field to get Wilkes up 1-0 early on the Aggies.
After a scoreless second inning, Cross would replicate her first at bat with a walk and stealing second base. Boyd would get a single this time, but a throwing error by the third baseman paved the way for Cross to add another score for the Colonels and make it 2-0 through three innings.
The pitching would begin to pick up as Hope Mullins (Midland, VA/Liberty) and Kenzie Boyd would keep the same score throughout the game to the seventh inning. At the top of the seventh, Mullins would walk the first two batters with Paige Simmons getting on base off a single, but the Colonels would get a runner out at third to get one out. Another walk would load the bases, Wilkes would get a pop fly to get their second out. One more walk would get Delaware Valley on the board 2-1 with the bases loaded, but a pop fly to the first baseman would secure the first game for the Colonels.
Cross would get two runs on the day while Boyd went 2-for-3 at bat with an RBI. Mullins (2-2) gets her second win on the year after pitching 7.0 innings, allwoing one run and three hits while striking out four batters. Boyd (4-6) would allow two runs and five hits in the first game.
The second game would start off quick for Wilkes as they would get three scores in the bottom of the first. Howell would reach first on an error by the right field and advance to second, while Boyd would go to third with Cross getting the first score for the Colonels. Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) would bring Boyd home off a single to the left side of the field while bringing Howell to third base. She would score on a wild pitch to go up 3-0 at the end of the first.
After another scoreless second inning, the Colonels would get nine runs in the third inning. Howell would single to first while Hayl. Calaman and AJ Bryfogle (Easton, PA/Easton Area) would get hit by pitch, filling the bases for Wilkes. Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) would bring Howell home on a single to right field, while Carly Endres (Vineland, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick)s would have another walk for the Colonels to get Hayl. Calaman home. Salma Lampack-Heverly (Quakertown, PA/Faith Christian Academy) would get on base off an error, bringing Bryfogle home to make it 6-0.
Cross kept the inning going as she while Endress and Hayd. Calaman would score off an error to go up 8-0. Boyd would double to left field as Cross and Lampack-Heverly would make it 10-0 for WIlkes. Howell would single up the middle and steal second base, getting to third as Boyd would score on a wild pitch to go up 11-0 with one out in the inning. Hayl. Calaman would reach first on an error as Howell would end the scoring for Wilkes and have the Colonels up 12-0 going into the fourth.
Delaware Valley would get a potential running score on third base in the fourth and fifth inning, but a strike out in the top of the fourth and a liner to second base at the top of the fifth would conclude the second conference game as Wilkes won 12-0 over Delaware Valley and earned the sweep.
Howell would go 2-for-3 at bat with three scores while Cross went 2-for-3 and had two runs. Boyd would go 1-for-2 at bat and earn two of her own runs while Hayl. Calaman, Hayd. Calaman, Bryfogle, Endress, and Lampack-Heverly would have one run each.
Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) (4-1) would earn the win from pitching 5.0 innings as she only allowed six hits while striking out eight batters. Asha Miller (0-6) would pitch 2.0 innings as she gave up four hits and eight runs. Boyd would come in and pitch 1.0 inning as she allowed four runs and four hits. Paige Simmons would conclude the pitching for the Aggies as she allowed one hit in 1.0 innings.
The Colonels would return back to the Ralston Athletic Complex as they host Penn State Hazleton on Wednesday in a doubleheader, with the first game beginning at 4:00 p.m.
