dropping temperatures, the Eagles
traveled to Reding for a crucial doubleheader against former PAC rival
Alvernia. The Eagles took the opener 5-2 before falling 4-3 in the
nightcap.
The Eagles won
the opener behind a strong pitching performance from Maggie McGowan.
The first year pitcher kept the Crusaders off balance and only walked a
single hitter in the victory. The Eagles jumped to a 3-0 lead in the
third inning. A pair of Alvernia
errors helped the Eagles to plate the first run of the game and
freshman left fielder Jaimie Schwartz knocked in a pair of runs with a
one-out single.
After the
Crusaders earned a run back in the bottom of the inning, the Eagles
earned the run back in the top of the fifth. Karen Hertzog tripled with one out and Jaclyn Gangemi drove her home. McGowan knocked in the final run of the game with a towering lead-off home run in the seventh. Coach Colleen Stuppy said of the first game. "We played really well. Maggie pitched a very solid game and her home run was one of the hardest hit balls we've seen."
The
Eagles battled in game two, but the Crusaders scored the game-winning
run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the 4-3 win.
The Eagles took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the top of the first, but the host Crusaders struck back for a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Hertzog doubled and scored in the top of the fourth to tie the game, but Alvernia responded with a single run in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead.
Schwartz again delivered with a two-out pinch-hit RBI in the sixth, but the Eagles were never able to take the lead and Alvernia scored the game-winner late.
The loss puts the Eagles on the outside of the playoff picture for the moment. While not mathematically eliminated, the Eastern team would need several scenarios to play out to earn a spot in the post-season. The Eagles, however, have already exceeded expectations with their fifth league win in their first season in the Freedom Conference.
Box Score 1
Box Score 2