ST. DAVIDS, Pa.—Eastern University Softball senior Emily Houck helped the Eagles come from behind against the Delaware Valley University Aggies on Saturday with a two-out two-RBI single that ended up bringing in the winning run.
Houck, the Eagles' only senior and a three-year captain, batted 3-for-4 with four RBIs to twice give the Eagles the lead in a 9-8 win over the Aggies in game two of the doubleheader. The Eagles took the first game of the doubleheader 4-1.
With the wins, Eastern ended the regular season with an 11-3 Freedom Conference record and will now be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament on May 1. Eastern enters the tournament having won nine straight games.
The first game of the series proved to be a pitcher's duel. Del Val's Ashley Rice only allowed four hits while striking out four. Eastern's Haleigh Williams surrendered just five hits but struck out eight batters which is tied for her season high. Williams has fanned 67 batters in 86 innings pitched and now has a 7-4 record after Saturday's win.
The Eagles made their limited hits count. Deanna Laughman singled to right to bring in two unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning to give Eastern a 2-1 lead.
Eastern added an insurance run in the fourth on one swing. Kelsey Clever hit a laser of a home run over the fence down the left field line.
Clever scored again for the third time in the bottom of the sixth, scampering home on an RBI groundout by Deanna Laughman.
Williams allowed two of her five hits in the top of the seventh but escaped the inning unscathed.
Eastern trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the third before plating a run on a single to left field by Kasey Williams that scored Deanna Laughman. The Eagles loaded the bases after that, but left all three runners stranded.
The Eagles had another bases-loaded chance in the fourth and Kasey Williams came through with a double to left field that scored Erica Pyla-Gibson and Jackie DiGiacomo. Houck gave Eastern the lead on a double to left as well that brought in Williams and Ashton Tomlinson. Tomlinson, who was hitless in the first game and had a 24-game hitting streak snapped, started a new streak with a 1-for-4 day in game two.
Not to be out-done, the Aggies followed with four runs in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, now trailing by three runs, Eastern got its first two batters on base by walks and scored two runs on an error and then a bases loaded walk.
With the bases juiced still, Houck stepped into the box and smacked a deep single to right that scored Williams and Tomlinson and gave Eastern the lead 9-8. Williams batted 3-for-3 in the game with four RBIs.
Del Val threatened in the bottom of the sixth by loading the bases. Houck signaled an impromptu huddle on the edge of the infield with the defense and encouraged them to not let the lead slip away. Eagles' pitcher Alyssa Welsh got the next batter to fly out to right field and the threat was neutralized.
Eastern moves into the Freedom Conference tournament for the first time since 2012, Houck's freshman year. The Eagles play against Misericordia University on May 1 at noon. Click here for more information about the tournament.
