La Plume, Pa. – Keystone College opened the home portion of their schedule by sweeping Wilkes University in a non-conference softball doubleheader on Wednesday at Edmunds Field. The Giants (5-5) won the first game 9-6 before topping the Colonels (5-7) 13-5 in five innings in the nightcap to move to .500 on the season.
Game 1 Keystone took control of Wednesday's opener by scoring seven two-out runs in the second inning before holding off a comeback bid by Wilkes.
Katie Thompson (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area) scored the game's first run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning before the Colonels leveled the contest on an RBI single in the top of the second inning. The Giants then erupted for seven runs in the home second to build an 8-1 lead.
Kaylee Hartman (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) hit an RBI triple followed by an RBI base hit by Thompson.
Kimberly Rivera (New York, NY/South Bronx Campus) followed with a two-run home run to centerfield before Lindsay Bucklaw added an RBI single.
Emily Long (Shamokin, PA/Our Lady of Lourdes Regional) scored on a double steal before
Ryleigh Fitch (Springville, PA/Tunkhannock) drove in Keystone's eighth run with an RBI base knock to right center.
The Colonels narrowed their deficit to 8-5 with a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings before Bucklaw launched a solo homer to left center in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wilkes got a run back in the visitor's sixth, but that would mark the end of the scoring in the contest.
Alyssa Hughes (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) picked up the win for the Giants after allowing six runs and striking out three batters in 5.1 innings.
Emily Faulkner (Laceyville, PA/Wyalusing Valley) picked up the save by tossing 1.2 hitless and scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Bucklaw and
Sarah Stacey (Shickshinny, PA/Lake-Lehman) led Keystone with two hits apiece in the opener as all nine starters for the Giants had at least one hit.
Nicole Cumbo suffered the loss in the circle for the Colonels after allowing six runs on six hits in 1.2 innings before being relieved by Christina Gambino who yielded three runs on five hits in 4.1 innings of work. Lacey Bixler led Wilkes with three hits and three RBIs in the game one loss.
Game 2 Keystone jumped out early and often in the nightcap, scoring six runs in the first inning, three in the second, and four in the third to pull away with the 13-5, run-rule victory.
Wilkes took a 1-0 lead in their first at-bats of the game, but Keystone countered with six runs in the home half of the first.
Breelyn Johnson-Fite (Bogota, NJ/Bergen County Technical) and Rivera both scored on errors before
Antonette Scialpi (Hughestown, PA/Pittston Area) and Stacey hit two-run singles to give the hosts a 6-1 lead after the first inning.
Scialpi drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning before
Shannon Dermont (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) delivered a two-run single to stretch the Giants' advantage to 9-1 after two innings. In the bottom of the third inning, Long hit an RBI double, Bucklaw had an RBI single, and
Nicole Shay (Thompson, PA/Susquehanna Community) added a two-run double to give Keystone a commanding, 13-1 lead.
Wilkes plated four runs in the top of the fifth inning, but it wasn't enough as Keystone shut the door on the five-inning win.
Bucklaw went 3-3 at the plate while Long and Dermont had two hits apiece for the Giants in the game two victory.
Faulkner went the distance in the circle to pick up the win, allowing four earned runs on seven hits while striking out two in the complete game win.
Grace Sanzalone led Wilkes with three hits in the nightcap while Alexis Ayache took the loss after allowing six runs - only two of which were earned - on four hits.
Up Next Keystone will host Misericordia University on Tuesday in a non-conference twin bill starting at 3:00 p.m. in La Plume.
