Wilkes Softball Splits Non-Conference Doubleheader with Marywood
SCRANTON, PA – The Wilkes University softball team would go on the road and split their non-conference doubleheader to Marywood University in Thursday afternoon action at Pacers Park. Marywood would take the first game 3-2, while Wilkes would go six innings in a 14-4 victory over the Pacers.
The Colonels would improve to 18-12 on the year while Marywood would fall to 18-12 this season.
The first game would begin with Marywood getting on the board in the second inning to get the Pacers up 1-0. Wilkes would respond in the top of the third as Hannah Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) put out a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Evan Sherrick (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) home to tie the game at 1-1.
The Colonels would get ahead in the game in the top of the sixth inning. With Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) on third and two outs in the inning, Kayla Burleson (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) would single to right field and get Hayl. Calaman home and bring Wilkes up 2-1.
Marywood would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, eventually going to the bottom of the seventh at 2-2. The Pacers would reach first on an error and get three straight walks to bring a runner home and get a 3-2 win in the first game over the Colonels.
Bella Peters (Lancaster, PA/Penn Manor) (4-2) took the loss on the day as she pitched six innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on 11 hits while walking three Pacers. Emily Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/St. Hubert Catholic) would come into the seventh inning allowing two walks.
Mara Hamm (7-7) gets the win as she pitched all seven innings for Marywood, giving up two runs on five hits while having five strikeouts and only one walk.
Hayl. Calaman was 1-for-1 at bat with a run on the day while Sherrick was 1-for-3 at the plate with a run of her own.
The second game went in favor of the Colonels as they got 10 runs in the first inning. Hayl. Calaman walked, then made it to second on a Hana Cross (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick) bunt. After a Nicole Howell (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock Area) walk that loaded bases, Burleson singled to shortstop to bring Haly. Calaman home and go up 1-0. Salma Lampack-Heverly (Quakertown, PA/Faith Christian Academy) would single down the left line and bring Howell and Cross home to make it 3-0. After a Marissa Pick (Watsontown, PA/Warrior Run) walk, Olivia Dougher (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) brought Burleson home on a single to center field to make the game 4-0.
After a pitching change by Marywood, Nicole O'Rourke (Staten Island, NY/Susan E Wagner) would bring Lampack-Heverly home to get the score to 5-0. Hayl. Calaman would return to the plate and single to the left side, bringing Pick home to make it 6-0. Howell would single to the right side and get O'Rourke and Dougher home while Burleson brought Howell and Hayl. Calaman to score on a single to center field to finish the top of the first with a 10-0 lead for Wilkes.
Marywood would respond in the bottom of the second as they would get two runs to get on board and make it 10-2. The Pacers would get a score in the fourth and fifth inning to keep the game going as they were now down 10-4.
The Colonels would respond in the top of the sixth with four scores of their own. With the bases loaded and two outs, Cross would double to left center field to bring O'Rourke, Dougher, and Pick home to extend their lead to 13-4. Howell would get Cross to home plate on a single to center field to bring their lead up 14-4. Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) would come in to the bottom of the sixth, where a pop up to the shortstop and two strikeouts earned the Colonels a 14-4 win in six innings in game two.
Dougher would go 4-for-4 in the second game as she had two runs. Burleson was 3-for-5 at bat with a run and three RBI's. O'Rourke, Hayl. Calaman, and Cross were all 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs while Howell was 2-for-3 at bat with two of her own runs. Pick also secured two runs on the day while Lampack-Heverly had one score.
Sami Hendershott (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) (4-1) earned the win on the day as she pitched five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out one batter. DeMarco would pitch in the sixth inning, striking out two of the three batters she faced.
Sam Ferra (1-2) had the loss for Marywood as she started the game, giving up seven runs on five hits and walking three batters. Jessica Plunkett would come in and pitch the rest of the first inning and second game as she gave up seven runs on 12 hits while walking four Colonels.
Wilkes will return to the Ralston Athletic Complex and get back into Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) action as they host DeSales University in a doubleheader on Saturday that begins at 1:00 p.m. and will begin with a Senior Day ceremony.
