LEESBURG, Fla. – Junior third baseman
Brooke Lapia (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) recorded five hits, including a go-ahead home run, as the W&J softball team closed its Spring Break trip with a split.
Game One Recap – W&J 8, North Park 2
After watching North Park take a 2-0 lead after the top of the fourth, the bats came alive in the latter stages of the game for the Presidents.
Brooke Shuck (Huntingdon, Pa., Huntingdon) ripped a RBI single to right field, scoring
Brooke Lapia (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) with two outs.
Rachel Johnson (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) then followed with an RBI single to bring home
Brooklynn Miller (Martins Ferry, Ohio/Buckeye Local) to tie the score at 2-2.
The Presidents took the lead for good when Lapia launched a two-run home run of the left field fence, which would give the Red and Black a 4-2 edge.
After North Park brought in a relief pitcher for the sixth inning, W&J broke open the game with four more runs in the frame, extending the lead to 8-2. Miller and Johnson both walked to start the outburst. Back-to-back run-scoring singles by
Taylor Andres (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and
Brooke McCleester (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley) made the score 6-2.
Laura Ryder (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) continued her hot hitting with a two-run double right center, scoring McCleester and
Sarah Labbe (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonksee) extending the W&J lead to 8-2.
That was more than enough run support for Andres, who improved her record to 2-3 on the season. The senior tossed 7.0 strong innings, allowing two unearned runs on just four hits. Andres struck out four and issued just one walk.
Lapia led the offense with a 3-for-3 performance, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Johnson and Andres also recorded multi-hit efforts in the victory.
The win moved W&J to 5-4 overall, while the loss dropped North Park to 5-2.
Game Two Recap – Olivet 2, W&J 1
Lapia continued her surge at the plate, doubling home Ryder to give W&J an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Presidents had several opportunities to add on offensively but stranded 10 runs in the contest.
W&J left the bases loaded in the fourth inning before leaving a runner at third in the fifth and sixth innings. Even after surrendering the lead in the bottom of the sixth, the Presidents put a runner into scoring position in the seventh but couldn't plate the tying run.
Dana Parker (Coroapolis, Pa./Montour) and Lapia recorded two hits in the loss.
Kristen Fuertes (West Chester, Pa./West Chester) suffered the tough luck loss, dropping her record to 3-2 in the circle. Fuertes worked 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits.
The loss evens W&J's record to 5-5, while Olivet won its seventh straight to improve to 8-4 overall.
W&J is scheduled to return to action at home against Marietta College on Wednesday, March 20. The non-conference doubleheader is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
