WASHINGTON, Pa. –
Brooke Lapia (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) slugged her first collegiate grand slam and
Rachel Johnson (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) reached base six times on the day to help the W&J softball team sweep Thiel College in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Brooks Park.
W&J used a five-run sixth inning, which included the Lapia slam to rally for a 6-4 win in game one. The Presidents then overcame a 5-0 deficit in game two to fight back for an 11-7 victory over the Tomcats.
The sweep extends W&J's winning streak to five games and seven of eight overall. The Presidents have also won six straight games at Brooks Park. W&J improves to 3-1 in the PAC and 12-12 overall. Thiel drops to 3-3 in the conference and 9-17 overall.
Game One Recap – W&J 6, Thiel 4
The Presidents' offense was held in check for the first five innings, as Thiel built a 4-1 advantage in the opener. Thiel tallied a run in the second and two more in the third to make the score 3-0.
Brooke McCleester (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley) singled and stole second before scoring on a RBI single by Johnson in the bottom of the third. Thiel would counter with an RBI groundout to extend the edge to 4-1 in the fourth.
Patience at the plate helped spark W&J's rally in the bottom of the sixth.
Taylor Andres (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) led off with a walk before
Laura Ryder (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) reached on an error by the Thiel third baseman.
Brooke Stout (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area Senior) then worked the bases full by drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch.
After a brief mound visit by Thiel, Lapia drilled a grand slam down the left field line on the first pitch of the at-bat. Lapia's home run was her fourth of the season, the most by a PAC player in 2019.
Trailing 6-4 and down to their final three outs, the first two Tomcats reached base in the top of the seventh. However, Andres worked out of the jam and the Presidents earned the comeback victory.
Andres improved to 5-7 in the circle by allowing four runs (two earned) during 7.0 innings of work. The senior struck out two and walked three.
Johnson helped pace the offense with two hits, two RBI and two stolen bases. McCleester added two hits while Lapia drove home four on her home run.
Game Two Recap – W&J 11, Thiel 7
Just like game one, W&J found itself in an early hole. Aided by defensive miscues by W&J, the Tomcats built a 5-0 in the second inning.
The Presidents began chipping away in the second inning when McCleester scored on a wild pitch then Johnson singled home
Sarah Labbe (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonksee) and
Kristen Fuertes (West Chester, Pa./West Chester) to cut the deficit to 5-3 after two innings.
After seeing Thiel get a run back in the top of the third, W&J put a dent in the scoreboard with a five-spot in the bottom of the fourth. Ryder singled home Labbe before Lapia tacked on two more RBI with a single to score Ryder and
Alisha Kulka (Hanover, Pa. / South Western) to tie the score at 6-6.
Fuertes then gave W&J the lead for good, helping herself with a two-run single to score Lapia and Stout. In the fifth, an RBI single by Ryder scored Johnson to make the score 9-6. The Presidents would tack on two more runs to secure the victory.
Johnson, Ryder and Fuertes recorded two hits and two RBI each in the victory.
Kulka put together a fine showing, as the freshman reached base four times and added a sacrifice bunt during the victory. Her classmate, Labbe, collected two hits, three runs and three stolen bases.
Fuertes picked up the victory to improve her record to 7-5 in the circle.
W&J hosts Bethany College for another league doubleheader at Brooks Park on Wednesday, April 10. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
