La PLUME, Pa.—The Keystone College softball team had a case of the jitters Wednesday afternoon at Edmunds Field.
The Giants committed 11 errors in dropping a doubleheader to Wilkes University in non-conference action. Both games were decided in five innings.
In the opener, the Colonels belted out 19 hits en route to a 16-4 victory. They smacked 10 hits in an 11-3 win in the second game to improve to 16-8. The losses dropped Keystone to 5-17.
Game 1 – Freshman Britny Jumalon had four hits, including a double and a triple, and drove in two runs and junior Haley Welker and senior Christina Gambino combined for six hits and seven RBIs as the Colonels overcame a 4-3 deficit with an 8-run rally in the fourth inning and added five more runs in the fifth to win convincingly. Gambino hit a three-run home run in the fourth—her fifth home run of the season—and Wilkes finished with seven extra-base hits, including a triple by freshman Jordyn Kondras. Sophomore Celine Podlesney came on in relief of Gambino and held Keystone scoreless while allowing only one hit in two innings to pick up the victory.
Senior
Kaylee Hartman (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Regional) led the Giants with two hits and freshman
Paige Mokychic (Beaumont, Pa./Tunkhannock Area), senior
Ryleigh Fitch (Springville, Pa./Tunkhannock Area) and sophomore
Mariah Loughney (Jermyn, Pa./Lakeland) each had a hit and an RBI.
Game 2 – The Giants committed five errors in the second inning that Wilkes converted into seven runs, six of which were unearned, and the Colonels added another run in the fourth and two in the fifth to break it open.
Sophomore Gracen Staunton led Wilkes with two hits and two RBIs and junior Caitlin Brown and Podlesney contributed two hits apiece. Podlesney was credited with the win after relieving Gambino in the third inning and holding the Giants scoreless over an inning and a third. With the two wins today, Podlesney is now 6-6 on the season.
Losing pitcher
Ashley Constable (Bangor, Pa./Bangor Area), who allowed only four earned runs while striking out five, belted two doubles and drove in two runs and Mokychic and junior
Samantha Monetti (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) each belted a double among their two hits apiece for Keystone, which returns to Colonial States Athletic Conference action Friday afternoon against Rosemont College at Edmunds Field beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Keystone news & notes
- Mokychic's double in the second game is her fifth of the season and her two RBIs today give her 12 for the season, second-most on the team
- Mokychic is now batting .351 after recording three hits today
- Monetti went 2-for-2 in the second game to improve her batting average to .241
- Giants will play their next two conference doubleheaders at home, Rosemont Friday and Cedar Crest Saturday
