The Monarch's Lindsey Hoerner cruised to a one-hitter in game one. The tall right-hander used late-movement and changes of speeds to keep the Eastern hitters off balance for the whole game.
Eastern bounced back quickly in game two. They jumpied to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first behind a Maggie McGowan three run homer. King's then responded with two runs in the top half of the second. The Eastern offense responded in the bottom of the inning with three more runs. Michele Morongell delivered the big blow with her first career home run. Her two-run shot drove in Theresa Esposito.
The Monarchs, however, refused to go quietly. They picked up four runs in the top half of the third to tie the game at 6-6. The Eagles offense stalled until the bottom of the fifth inning. Molly Oberholzer broke the game open with a two-run home run. Eastern tacked on an insurance run when Stephanie Weaver went first to third on an Esposito single. Esposito took second on the throw, but the ball squirted away, and Weaver scooted home.
The Eagles entered the top of the sixth with a 9-6 lead. Janelle Fair came into relieve starter Kristine Rosko and allowed two runs on a Hoerner home run. Fair then closed the door and Eastern held a 9-8 advantage going into the bottom of the sixth.
Eastern tacked on some insurance runs in the sixth. Morongell and McGowan sparked the offense once again behind a single and double respectively. Morongell scored on a deep fly to center by Amy Bellows, and McGowan scored on an RBI single by Oberholzer.
Rosko earned the win by going five strong innings. She allowed six runs and struck out three. Fair picked up her second save of 2010. She allowed two runs and fanned three.
"I'm very proud of how well we rebounded again today," said head coach Brittany Stroop. "It's very difficult to come back from a game in which you struggle offensively. We were more patient in the second game and that really paid off for us."
"We're still in search of that complete doubleheader where we can get our offense, defense and pitching clicking at the same time," remarked Stroop. "Its a process, but the team is starting to understand the importance of coming out strong and finishing strong."
The Eagles hit the road over the next two weeks. On Tuesday, they will face off against Arcadia University in a non-conference double header at 3:00 PM before returning to Freedom Conference play against Delaware Valley College at 3:00 PM on Thursday.
Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2
Photo Gallery
