LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – The Cedar Crest College softball team dropped its first two games of the 2023 season on Monday afternoon at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic. The Falcons suffered a 6-0 loss to Penn State Harrisburg and then closed the day with a 10-5 setback against Penn State Abington.

Game One – Penn State Harrisburg 6, Cedar Crest 0

The Nittany Lions got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the first inning. Sophomore Madelyn Lehigh (Harrisburg, Pa.) scored on a wild pitch while first-year Rylee Martinez (Norwalk, Calif.) doubled down the left field line to plate classmate Mackenzie Fisher (Dauphin, Pa.) to make the score 2-0.

Penn State Harrisburg tacked on a three-spot in the fourth inning. Lehigh singled to left center to plate Senior Krys Moore (Spring Grove, Pa.) to start things. Fisher drove in Lehigh with an RBI single to center field and then junior Steph Reider (Maytown, Pa.) sent home Fisher with a double to center field to push the score to 5-0.

The Nittany Lions added another in the fifth when Emma Einarson (Simi Valley, Calif.) scored on a throwing error to make it the 6-0 final.

Fisher concluded the game with a 3-for-4 day at the dish with an RBI and a run scored for Penn State Harrisburg.

Graduate student Rachel Savini (Wilmington, Del./Delaware Military Academy) led the Falcons offensively, going 2-for-3. Seniors Brianna Lankford (Hanover, Pa./South Western Senior) and Renee Snyder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) had a hit apiece to close out the category for Cedar Crest.

First-year Mackenzie Sawdey (Halifax, Pa.) secured the win in the circle for the Nittany Lions. She allowed four hits while walking six and striking out five in the complete game effort. Junior Corinne Mundy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush) gave up six runs (three earned) on 10 hits for the Falcons. She struck out one and walked one in the loss.  

Game Two – Penn State Abington 10, Cedar Crest 5

Penn State Abington tallied six runs over the first two innings, notching three in each frame.

 Sophomore Hailey Gamble (Wernersville, Pa.) put the Nittany Lions in front with a two-run triple to left center. Senior Megan Tomoney (Nazareth) followed with a base knock to center field to bring home Gamble.

Gamble was back in the action in the second as she brought home two runs on a single while first-year Jill Thomas (Levittown, Pa.) singled to third base, sending Tomoney home for the 6-0 advantage.

Cedar Crest began to chip away at the deficit, registering two runs in the sixth. Snyder singled up the middle to bring around first-year Natalie Hasert (Vernon, N.J./Vernon Township) while graduate student Ashley Heller (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) singled to shortstop to plate Snyder to trim the margin to four, 6-2.

The seventh inning had seven combined runs. After Penn State Abington plated four in the top of the frame to stretch the lead to eight, 10-2, the Falcons replied with three runs of their own. Lankford scored on a wild pitch to begin the scoring, graduate student Delaney VanBuskirk (Bridgeville, Del./Woodbridge) stole home, and then Hasert scored on a sacrifice bunt by Savini to make it 10-5, the eventual final.

Gamble went 4-for-5 with five RBI and a run scored to pace the Nittany Lions.

Snyder guided the Falcons in the offense, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Heller went 2-for-4 at the dish with an RBI while five other Cedar Crest student-athletes tallied a hit each to round out the category.

Sophomore Gretchen Yanss (Odenton, Md.) earned the win in the circle for Penn State Abington. She only allowed three hits over four innings of work to go along with two strikeouts. First-year Emmalee Myerholtz (Moorestown, N.J.) tossed the final four frames and gave up five runs (three earned) and had a walk and a strikeout.

Mundy was credited with the loss for the Falcons. She surrendered six runs on 11 hits while fanning two and walking two. Classmate Kristina Cagle (Pittsgrove, N.J./Arthur P. Schalick) tossed the final two innings and gave up four runs on three hits.

Cedar Crest (0-2 overall) returns to the field on Tuesday, March 7 with contests against Bridgewater State University at 1:00 p.m. followed by a matchup with Penn College at 3:00 p.m. Both contests will take place at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex.

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