WASHINGTON, Pa. --
Rachel Johnson (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) reached base in all seven plate appearances and
Kristen Fuertes (West Chester, Pa./West Chester) tossed seven strong innings to help the W&J softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Carnegie Mellon University on Tuesday afternoon.
W&J couldn't hold an early lead as they fell 17-7 in game one to the visiting Tartans. The Presidents flipped the script in game two, as Fuertes was outstanding in a 3-2 win in the Presidents' home finale at Brooks Park.
Game One Recap - Carnegie Mellon 17, W&J 7
A fast start helped W&J open up a 6-1 lead after two innings in the opener. Johnson walked and came around to score on a throwing error to tie the game in the bottom of the first. A few batters later,
Brooke Lapia (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) produced a sacrifice fly to plate
Laura Ryder (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny), giving the Presidents a 2-1 lead.
In the second inning,
Lexie Creyer (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood) laced an RBI double down the left field line to score
Brooklynn Miller (Martins Ferry, Ohio/Buckeye Local), extending the advantage to 3-1. Later in the frame, Ryder smacked a three-run homer over the left center field fence, extending the W&J lead to 3-1. The Ryder blast was her first collegiate home run.
Carnegie Mellon bounced back in a big way, as the visitors scored three in the third and posted a seven-spot in the fourth inning to surge into the lead at 11-6. After Ryder added another RBI in the bottom of the inning, CMU tallied the final six runs to earn the 17-7 win.
Johnson reached base four times, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, three runs scored and a walk. Ryder went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored.
Addy Helffrich (Sewickley, Pa./Avonworth) also finished with two hits in the opener.
Game Two Recap - W&J 3, Carnegie Mellon 2
W&J jumped out to an early lead again game two, as the hosts tallied two runs in the bottom of the second. Helffrich drew a one out walk before Fuertes singled and
Sarah Labbe (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonksee) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Johnson then knocked in a pair with a single through the right side, scoring Helffrich and pinch runner
Kala McCauley (Penn, Pa./Penn-Trafford).
Fuertes recorded a fantastic pitching performance, blanking the Tartans offense through six innings. In the bottom of the sixth inning,
Brooke McCleester (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley) smacked a one-out triple down the right field line. Helffich then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to score McCleester for an important insurance run.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Fuertes was on the verge of finishing off the Presidents first shutout victory of the season. However, the Tartans pulled within one run with a two-run double to cut the deficit to 3-2. Fuertes then nailed down the win by retiring the final batter on a flyout to left field.
Fuertes improved her record to 9-8 this season in the circle. The junior allowed two runs on six hits, while striking out a pair and walking just one.
Johnson continued her surge at the plate by reaching base all three times in the nightcap. The senior finished 2-for-2 with two RBI, a stolen base and a walk. Johnson currently ranks third in the PAC in batting average (.434), slugging percentage (.623) and on-base percentage (.531).
The split moves W&J to 15-19 overall while CMU moves to 11-23 in 2019.
W&J travels to Waynesburg University for an important PAC doubleheader on Wednesday, April 23. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
