Late Inning Collapse Results in Softball Splitting Friday’s Doubleheader with PSU Beaver

By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

MONACA, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto softball team used the long ball to power them to the 11-7 victory on Friday, but in the second game PSU Beaver used a seventh inning rally to force extra innings where Mont Alto lost 11-10. PSUMA remain atop the PSUAC standings with a 15-5 overall record and 14-4 mark within the conference.

Penn State Mont Alto 11, Penn State Beaver 7 (F)

• Mont Alto tied its season-high combining for 17 hits, which included clutch home runs off the bats of Brooklyn Wagner (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) and McKenna Sas (Canyon County, Calif. / Canyon County).
• An RBI single off the bat of Skye Herring (Pine Grove, Pa. / Pine Grove Area) got Mont Alto on the board first, but the lead was quickly erased in the bottom of the frame when Cassadie Speed hit a two-run homer.
• Penn State Beaver and Mont Alto continued to go back and forth scratching across runs in the second, third and fourth innings as the score was tied 4-4 before Sas crushed the ball over the fence.
• Wagner's 3-run dinger in the top of the sixth gave Mont Alto breathing room as they had the 8-5 advantage. PSU Beaver continued to rally as they scratched two runs across in the bottom of the sixth frame. Mont Alto put the game out of reach with a pair of RBI fielder's choices from Chelsea Cover (Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro Area) and Haley Dawson (Greencastle, Pa. / Greencastle-Antrim).
• Wagner had arguably her best game of the season finishing 4-for-5 with five RBIs. Six different Nittany Lions had multi-hit games.
• Although Kirsten Dell (Hanover, Pa. / New Oxford) was charged with giving up all seven runs she prevailed to improve to 7-1.

Penn State Beaver 11, Penn State Mont Alto 10 (F-8)

• PSUMA mustered 17 hits again, this time Kirsten Dell (Hanover, Pa. / New Oxford), Chelsea Cover (Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro Area), McKenna Sas (Canyon County, Calif. / Canyon County) and Leah Blount (Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro Area) finished with three hits apiece to power the lineup.
• It was another high scoring affair with runs being scored in every inning. Mont Alto was in prime position for the win after a two-run homer from McKenna Sas (Canyon County, Calif. / Canyon County) that put her team up 9-3.
• PSU Beaver chipped away at the lead and a six-run bottom of the seventh frame saw the game go into extra innings with the score tied 10-10.
• The home team made the most of the Olympic tie-breaking rule with Cassadie Speed scoring the winning run for Beaver on a Morgan Lee single.

Mont Alto has a quick turnaround hosting Penn State Beaver at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. as the program will also honor its seniors.