DUBOIS, Pa. --- Returning to action after a long layoff, the Golden Eagle softball team dropped both ends of a conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, losing a pair of games to IUP at Heindl Field in DuBois. Clarion lost the first game 12-0 in five innings, and dropped a 13-7 decision in the nightcap.
 
Game 1: IUP 12, Clarion 0 (5 inn.)
 
RECAP: The final score belied what was a scoreless game heading into the top of the third inning, with the Crimson Hawks finally breaking through in that frame and swiftly putting things out of reach. IUP had three hits combined in the first two innings but were unable to crack things open until the third, when they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs.
 
The hit that broke the game open was Kelly Szolek's three-run, two-out double to left field that cleared the bases loaded and gave the Crimson Hawks a 5-0 lead. Madison Pikula and Maddie Griffin each brought home runs later in the inning, giving IUP a 7-0 lead. Jordan Sylvia tacked on a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to make it 9-0, and Delaney Patella added her own two-run bomb in the fifth to make it 11-0. Jess Cekada added a two-run double later in the inning to make the lead an even dozen.
 
Clarion was held without a hit until the bottom of the third inning, when Alexis Valencia reached on a one-out bunt single to third base. Emily Buchleitner followed with an infield single of her own but the Golden Eagles could not capitalize, with Kathryn O'Horo and Desi Allen retired to end the frame. Things were looking up in the bottom of the fourth inning as well after Tori Martrano's leadoff single, followed by a two-out walk from Billie Aguglia. Annika Smith hit a grounder to shortstop to end the inning.
 
Game 2: IUP 13, Clarion 7
 
RECAP: The Golden Eagles very nearly rallied from a 9-2 deficit in the second game of the day, pulling to within two runs in the fifth inning before the Crimson Hawks put them away in the seventh.
 
Clarion briefly held a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, with Haylie Rimmey striking a two-run single to left field to score O'Horo and Buchleitner. The Crimson Hawks responded with seven runs in the top of the second inning, including a three-run home run from Jaycee Haidze that made it 8-2. The IUP lead got as high as seven runs after an RBI from Pikula in the third inning made it 9-2.
 
The Golden Eagles began to chip away at that point, starting by getting one run back when Rachel Helsley scored on an error in left field to make it 9-3. Rimmey drove in another run in the bottom of the fourth inning, bringing home O'Horo on a one-out double to left field, and Hannah Powierza made it 9-5 with a two-out RBI single to right that brought Rimmey home. The lead was cut to three runs in the fifth inning when Buchleitner scored on a double-steal, and Rimmey drove in her fourth run of the game with a fielder's choice to second that plated O'Horo.
 
That made it 9-7, but the Crimson Hawks allowed the Golden Eagles to get no closer. They scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to up the lead to 13-7, and they held Clarion scoreless in the last two innings to lock up the win.
  Read Full Article