INDIANA, Pa. -- The Golden Eagle softball team played it close in their PSAC West opener on Saturday afternoon, but Clarion was unable to come away with a win in a pair of close games against IUP. They fell by a 6-3 score to the Crimson Hawks in the first game, and then dropped a 10-8 extra-innings decision to IUP in the nightcap.
Game 1: IUP 6, Clarion 3
Recap: The Golden Eagles started the first game of the day with an offensive outburst in the first inning, chasing starter Amanda Fischer after she had retired only the leadoff batter. Clarion strung together six consecutive hits to score three runs in the opening frame, starting with a single by Brooke Cline with one out. Makenzie Wolfe roped a double to left center to put runners on second and third, followed by an RBI single from Hannah Norton tie the game at 1-1.
Allison Gilliam and Alyssa Stitt were up to the task as well, adding a pair of base knocks to score Wolfe and Norton to make it 3-1. Nicole Collins finished off the run with a single to left, but new pitcher Elizabeth Kasper induced a double play to end the inning without further damage.
IUP went on to score five unanswered runs the rest of the way, starting with a bases-clearing three-run double by Jenna Rhue in the third innings to put them ahead 4-3. The Crimson Hawks added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 6-3 lead. Clarion had opportunities down the stretch to make up the deficit, including a bases-loaded situation in the sixth that ended with a pop-up. Cline and Wolfe led off the seventh inning with singles, but the Crimson Hawks turned a double play to end the threat and lock up the win.
Game 2: IUP 10, Clarion 8 (8 inn.)
Recap: This game featured major offensive highlights, including three total home runs – two from Clarion's Norton alone. In fact it was Norton who kicked off Clarion's scoring in the bottom of the first inning, blasting a two-run homer over the left field fence to score Cline and put her team ahead 2-1. The senior added a dramatic shot in the bottom of the seventh inning, hitting another two-run blast with her team trailing 8-6 to tie it up and send it to extra innings.
The Crimson Hawks responded with a home run of their own in the eighth inning, as Renee Wall hit a towering shot to left in the top of the inning to put IUP ahead 10-8. Fischer made that lead stand up, retiring the Golden Eagles in order in the bottom of the inning.
Clarion led by a score of 5-2 at one point, tacking on three runs in the second inning. Billie Aguglia smacked an RBI double to center field to score Alyssa Stitt, making it 3-2, and Cline and Rachel Helsley added RBI singles in the same inning to increase the lead. IUP went off for three runs apiece in the top of the fifth and sixth innings to take an 8-5 lead. Cline cut into that deficit a bit in the bottom of the sixth, hitting an RBI single that deflected off pitcher Anastasia Pappas and kicked into right field to score Kathryn O'Horo. That set up Norton's heroics in the seventh inning, as the Golden Eagles rallied to send the game to extra frames.
