ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College softball team closed its Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) slate with a sweep of the University of Valley Forge on Thursday afternoon. The Falcons won game one 12-0 and then went on to take game two in an 11-3 final.
Game One – Cedar Crest 12, The University of Valley Forge 0 (Five Innings)
Cedar Crest started the scoring in the top of the first as first-year
Natalie Hasert (Vernon, N.J./Vernon Township) stole second and graduate student
Delaney VanBuskirk (Bridgeville, Del./Woodbridge) came around to touch home on the throw.
The Falcons tacked on six more in the second. Sophomore
Alexis Kline (Allentown, Pa./Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter) started things when she scored on a balk. The next run came after senior
Reilly Mateljan (Friedens, Pa./Somerset Area) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing sophomore
Alex Mullen (Prospect Park, Pa./Interboro) to cross home. VanBuskirk drew a bases-loaded walk to bring around first-year
Laney Ferraro (Philadelphia, Pa./New Foundations Charter). The frame continued when Hasert delivered an RBI groundout to the pitcher, which helped plate graduate student
Ashley Heller (Allentown, Pa./Parkland). The last runs of the inning came on a two-run double to left center from senior
Brianna Lankford (Hanover, Pa./South Western Senior), bringing around VanBuskirk and Mateljan for the 7-0 advantage.
Cedar Crest added a pair in the third. Mateljan drove in Mullen with a double while Mateljan would come around to score later on a fielding error to push the score to 9-0.
The Falcons tallied one run in the fourth. Ferraro brought around Kline with a double to left field.
Cedar Crest then tacked on a pair in the fifth to stretch the margin to 12-0. Mateljan crossed home on an RBI groundout to second base while graduate student
Delaney VanBuskirk (Bridgeville, Del./Woodbridge) scored the final run on an error.
Junior
Corinne Mundy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush) picked up the win in the circle for the Falcons. She struck out five while only allowing three hits. First-year Harley Wakeman (Lampasas, Texas) was credited with the loss, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) on seven hits over 3.2 innings.
Lankford led Cedar Crest at the plate in game one, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Heller followed with a 2-for-3 game with one RBI and three runs scored. Kline pitched in a 2-for-4 contest with two runs scored.
Sophomore Caitlyn Fisher (Pflugerville, Texas), Wakeman, and junior Morgan Bieler (Phoenixville, Pa.) each finished with a hit for the Patriots.
Game Two – Cedar Crest 11, The University of Valley Forge 3 (Six Innings)
Valley Forge struck first with all of its runs in the first frame. First-year Ava Page (Big Bear City, Calif.) started the scoring with an RBI single to right center, plating junior Laura Medio (Bear, Del.). Junior Ashlynn Kunes (Millington, Md.) followed with an RBI groundout to second base bringing around Fisher. The last tally came when Page stole home to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Patriots.
The Falcons answered with a four-spot in the bottom of the frame to grab the lead. Kline connected on a three-run single to right field, scoring Hasert, first-year
Taylor Faw (Glen Burnie, Md./Glen Burnie), and Heller. Cedar Crest jumped in front with a double to left center from the bat of Mullen, which plated Kline.
The home squad extended its advantage in the second with another four-run inning. VanBuskirk singled up the middle, bringing around Ferraro. The stanza continued when Lankford delivered an RBI groundout to the pitcher, scoring Faw. The last pair of runs of the frame came on a two-RBI double to right center from Kline, plating Hasert and VanBuskirk which pushed the lead to 8-3.
After three scoreless innings, Cedar Crest tallied three runs in the sixth to end the contest. Hasert began things with a double to center field, scoring VanBuskirk. Lankford delivered the next run with a base-hit up the middle, bringing around Hasert. The last run came via a double to center field from Kline, plating Mateljan for the 11-3 score.
Mundy secured her second win of the day in the circle, fanning two while walking one over six innings. First-year Ronae Young (Warren, Mich.) was tagged with the loss. She surrendered 11 runs on 12 hits to go along with three walks and two strikeouts.
Kline paced the Falcons at the dish in the nightcap, going a perfect 4-for-4 with six RBI and a run scored. VanBuskirk concluded the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Lankford followed with a 2-for-4 contest with a pair of RBI. VanBuskirk and Heller also finished with multiple hits for Cedar Crest.
Page led Valley Forge at the plate with a 2-for-3 game with an RBI and a run scored.
Cedar Crest (17-13 overall, 14-2 CSAC) will conclude the regular season with a non-conference doubleheader at Marywood University on Saturday, April 29, beginning at noon. The University of Valley Forge (7-21 overall, 0-14 CSAC) will finish its season at home on Saturday in a doubleheader against Clarks Summit University, starting at noon.
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