Eastern Softball's young players found the dimensions of their home park to their liking as five new Eastern players combined for three home runs and 16 RBI in a pair of wins over Philadelphia Biblical University Tuesday.
Wet field conditions kept the Eagles from practicing on their infield prior to today's games, and the threat of rain put even a single game in doubt. The rain, however, held off, and the Eagles let their bats deliver the thunder as they hammered out five hits in a five run second to give first year pitcher Maggie McGowan all the run support she would need in the 8-2 game one win.
Kate Phelan, a sophomore transfer who had doubled home a run in the first, delivered the big blow in the second with a two-out two-RBI double. McGowan gave up a single run in the top of the third, and the game stayed at 6-2 until the bottom of the fifth. With Phelan on base after being hit by a pitch, McGowan helped her own cause with a towering shot to left-center for her second home run of the year.
McGowan scattered five hits over seven innings to earn the game one win.
The Eagles manufactured a run in the first inning when senior lead-off hitter Alissa Brubaker singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Jaclyn Gangemi lifted a deep fly ball to right field to drive Brubaker home. Phelan hit yet another double, but the Eastern first ended without another run.
Eastern used a seven run second inning to break game two open. With two runners on and two out, Gangemi blasted her first collegiate home run to just left of center field. The Eagles replenished their base-runners as Phelan was hit, and and Karen Hertzog coaxed a walk. Amy Bellows hit a sharp ground ball to load the bases. First year left-fielder Jaimie Schwartz rapped a single to center to score two more Eastern runs. Molly Oberholzer singled home the last two runs of the inning to put the Eagles up 8-0 early.
Gangemi led off the third with her second home run of the day, and the Eagles answered two PBU runs in the fourth with another big inning in the bottom of the fourth. Gangemi again delivered the key blow in the four run inning with a two-RBI single off the center field fence.
Phelan earned her first win as an Eastern pitcher as she surrendered just four hits. Both teams and those fans in attendance observed a moment of silence prior to the game in memory of former head Coach Mark Ambler. It was also announced that there will be an alumni and friends gathering to honor Coach Ambler on a to-be-determined date in April. Details for that event will be announced here as they become available.
The Eagles begin play in the Freedom Conference with a home doubleheader against DeSales on Thursday.
