WASHINGTON, Pa. --
Rachel Johnson (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) recorded four hits, including an inside-the-park home run to surpass the 100 career hit mark during Thursday's Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader with Saint Vincent College at Brooks Park.
The Presidents dropped both ends of the doubleheader, falling 6-4 in game one before suffering a 9-0 setback in the nightcap.
Game One Recap - Saint Vincent 6, W&J 4
The Presidents were forced to play catch up in game one, as the visitors scored five runs (three earned) on five hits and an error in the opening inning. Saint Vincent added another run in the top of the third, using a two-out RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0.
W&J worked themselves back into the game in the bottom of the third inning, as the Red and Black cut the deficit in half with three runs on five hits. Consecutive singles by
Lexie Creyer (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood), Johnson and
Sarah Labbe (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonksee) loaded the bases with one out in the inning.
After an RBI groundout by
Taylor Andres (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) got W&J on the board,
Brooke Lapia (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and
Brooke Stout (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area Senior) followed with RBI hits to make the score 6-3. The Presidents were on the verge of pushing another run across but a bang-bang play at first base was ruled an out to help Saint Vincent escape with limited damage.
The two pitchers held the opposing offenses in check during the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. W&J entered the bottom of the seventh trailing by three runs. After the first two W&J hitters were retired, Johnson laced a line drive down the left field line, racing all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run, her second home run of the season.
Johnson finished the opener with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Despite playing only two seasons with the program, Johnson surpassed the 100 hit mark for her career in just 66 games. Andres suffered the loss in the circle, allowing six runs (four earned) in 7.0 innings of work.
Game Two Recap - Saint Vincent 9, W&J 0 (5 Innings)
Just as they did in game one, Saint Vincent scored early and often. The Bearcats tallied a pair of runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. SVC added three more runs in the third and pushed four runs acrosse in the fifth to roll to a 9-0 victory in five innings.
Johnson recorded the lone hit of the game for the Presidents.
Kristen Fuertes (West Chester, Pa./West Chester) started and suffered the loss for W&J, as the junior falls to 8-8 on the season.
After taking a break for the holiday, W&J will hit the road for a non-conference doubleheader with Carnegie Mellon University on Tuesday, April 23. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
