Penn State Scranton Softball Drops Doubleheader to Mont Alto

By: Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics

Dunmore, PA - On a warm spring Friday matinee, the hometown Penn State Scranton Lady Lions softball squad fell to conference rival Penn State Mont Alto in both ends of the doubleheader, losing game one 18-0 and game two by the score of 19-4. With these two losses, Scranton's overall record stands at 0-14 and 0-8 in the all-important league play with just over a week to go in the remaining regular season schedule.

In game one head coach Heath Newell's Mont Alto ball club put up an impressive offensive display, as they scored four runs in the first inning, five more in the second, five in the third, and last but not least, four runs in fourth frame to account for their 18-0 triumph. In the contest, Mont Alto hammered 18 hits, walked four times, and scored 18 runs. Mont Alto was led at the plate by five of their players who put up multi-hit games, as Kirsten Dell, McKenna Sas, Destiny Hall, Jaylin Belton, and Skye Herring led the way. Dell went 3-4, scoring four runs, drew a walk, and picked up an RBI. Sas was 2-5, scored two runs, and drove in a run as well. Hall went 3-5, scored three runs, had 3 RBI, and hit a two run home run in the top of the second inning. Belton was 3-4, scored a run, and drove in two runs. Finally, Herring went 3-4 and had a stalwart 3 RBI in the contest. As for the mound, Mont Alto was led by Dell, who got the win and pitched a complete game, throwing five shutout innings, with no walks, surrendering just two hits, and fanning nine Scranton batters.

Meanwhile Scranton's two hits came from freshman Olivia Shimonis who smashed a double and went 1-2 at the plate and sophomore second baseman Gabby Judge who hit a single and also was 1-2 on the day.

In game two, Mont Alto continued their impressive offensive fire power, as they scored nine runs in the first inning, seven in the second frame, two in the fourth, and one more run in the top half of the fifth inning to set the pace in their 19-4 triumph. In the nightcap, Mont Alto had six players who had multi-hit ball games, as Brooklyn Miller went 3-5, scored twice, and picked up an RBI, Dell was a perfect 3-3, with two runs, and 2 RBI, Sas went 3-4, hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning, scored three times, and had 3 RBI, Hall was 2-5, with two runs, and two RBI, Emily Sicinski was 2-4, scoring a run, and knocking in three runs, and last but not least, Alivia Payne was 2-3, with two runs, and had an RBI. On the mound, Haley Dawson earned the victory throwing 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits, no walks, and struck out five Lions batters.

Meanwhile for the Lady Lions of Scranton, they showed tremendous grit and resiliency, as they roared back and scored all four of their runs in the fifth and final inning of the contest. Junior Kelly Velehoski and freshman Alicia Gagner each had RBI ground outs in the final frame, and the big hit came from Shimonis, who earlier in the game hit a base hit to right field, and in the fifth inning, she hammered a towering two run double deep to the center field fence to cap off Scranton's impressive four run late game rally.

Now head coach Mar Tsakonas and her Scranton Lady Lions softball squad will look to bounce back and capture their first victory of the season when they host another doubleheader, this time against conference foe Penn State Du Bois this Saturday, as first pitch is scheduled for an early 10am start to beat the expected rain being forecasted.