WILKES-BARRE, Pa.—Eastern University Softball split Sunday's
doubleheader at King's College, winning the game one slugfest 10-7 but dropping
game two on a walk-off 5-4.
Eastern junior Kasey Williams crushed the highlight of the
season so far, by blasting a grand slam in the second inning of game one.
Sophomore Erica Pyla-Gibson made her first appearance in the
leadoff spot in the order and came through with a team-high six hits in the
doubleheader. Ashton Tomlinson and Kelsey Clever both had five hits in the
series.
The Eastern Eagles out-hit the King's Monarchs 16-13 to help pitcher Haleigh Williams earn the
complete game win. Williams, who improved to 3-5, allowed three earned runs
while striking out five batters.
Eastern catcher Melinda Kreimer put the Eagles on the
scoreboard in the first inning with a bouncing single up the middle that scored
Kasey Williams and Ashton Tomlinson. King's matched Eastern's two runs in the home-half
of the inning, but Eastern regained the lead with one fell swoop. With two outs
in the top of the second and the bases loaded, Kasey Williams clobbered a grand
slam, scoring Clever, Pyla-Gibson and Tomlinson.
The Eagles posted a four-spot in the fourth inning as well.
Clever knocked in two runs with a double, and Kristen Waters and Erica
Pyla-Gibson each had RBI singles.
King's added four of its own in the bottom of the inning and
one more in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn't catch up to the Eagles.
King's College pinch hitter Alizabeth Ellsworth smacked a
walk-off single to left field to complete the game-two comeback for the
Monarchs.
The Eagles had scored two runs in the fifth and another in the
sixth, both off of doubles, before taking the 4-3 lead in the top of the
seventh on a Clever RBI single. In the bottom of the inning, the Monarchs'
leadoff batter reached on an error and then scored on an RBI double by Rachel
DeTore. DeTore then scored the game-winning run from second off of Ellsworth's
clutch pinch hit.
Eastern (4-16) hosts Manhattanville College on Monday at 3
p.m. and then will return to the home field the next day against Wilkes
University.
