La Plume, Pa. – Neumann University swept a Colonial States Athletic Conference softball doubleheader at Keystone College on Friday, winning a pair of five-inning, run-rule games on a frigid afternoon at Edmunds Field. The Knights improve to 7-11 on the spring and 4-0 in conference play while the Giants slide to 7-13 overall and 2-6 in the CSAC.
Game 1 Neumann took a 4-0 lead in their first at-bats of Friday's opener on a grand slam home run before extending their lead to seven runs in the top of the second inning by plating three runs on two hits and one Keystone error.
The Knights put up six runs in both the visitor's third and fifth innings to break the game wide open, but Keystone did not go down with a fight as the hosts scored three runs on four hits in their last at-bats of the contest.
Katie Thompson (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area) broke up Neumann's shutout bid with an RBI single before
Kaylee Hartman (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) hit a two-run double to close out the scoring.
Kara Grogan and Jackie Schneider had three hits apiece while Danielle Grayson drove in four runs for Neumann. Haley Broomell picked up the win after allowing three runs on five hits while striking out two batters in 4.1 innings in the circle before Michaela Pembleton recorded the final two outs including one via the K.
Emily Faulkner (Laceyville, PA/Wyalusing Valley) suffered the loss for Keystone after being charged with four earned runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings.
Alyssa Hughes (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) yielded three earned runs on two hits while
Nicole Shay (Thompson, PA/Susquehanna Community) gave up two earned runs on six hits while fanning three batters in 2.1 innings on the rubber.
Thompson led the Giants with a pair of hits while Hartman,
Sarah Stacey (Shickshinny, PA/Lake-Lehman), and
Breelyn Johnson-Fite (Bogota, NJ/Bergen County Technical) accounted for the host's other three hits in the game one loss.
Game 2 Friday's nightcap was closely contest from the start with Neumann taking a 2-0 edge in the top of the third inning on a passed ball followed by a Keystone error. The Giants cut their deficit in half in the home half of the frame when Johnson-Fite scored on a Thompson base hit, but the Knights got the run back in the visitor's fourth on an RBI single of their own.
The visitors put the game out of reach in the visitor's seventh by scoring seven runs on four hits and two walk to build a 10-1 lead. Johnson-Fite scored her second run of the game on an
Emily Long (Shamokin, PA/Our Lady of Lourdes Regional) single in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Giants were unable to push across another run to force the game to the sixth inning.
Pembleton started in the circle for Neumann and picked up the win after allowing one run on two hits in four innings of work. Taylor Naman surrendered one run on one hit in the fifth inning for the Knights, who got two hits and three RBIs from Melissa Bond and two hits and two RBIs from Sarah Murray.
Hughes took the loss after yielding six earned runs on six hits while striking out a pair of batters in 4.1 innings. Shay was charged with three runs on three hits while Faulkner allowed one hit while picking up the final two outs in Keystone's circle.
Long had a pair of hits to lead the Giants while Thompson and Johnson-Fite also collected hits in the nightcap.
Up Next Keystone will attempt to play their CSAC doubleheader against Rosemont College on Sunday starting at 12:00 p.m. at Edmunds Field.
