CENTER VALLEY, Pa – Eastern Softball earned a split with host DeSales Univeristy on Saturday afternoon winning game one by the final of 11-5 but lost game two 6-2.
Haleigh Williams picked up her sixth win of the season in the series while
Alyssa Bolger and
Kasey Williams each homered in game one to help the Eagles earn the win.
"The team is really starting to find its cohesiveness," said Head Coach
Claire Emplit. "They are stringing together hits which is something the coaches have emphasized.
H. Williams turned in another solid outing for Eastern (11-23, 4-8 MAC Freedom) going seven innings while allowing 12 hits and five runs; three earned and struck out a season-high seven batters to move to 6-11 on the year.
The Eagles got off to a quick start when Bolger launched a solo home run in the top of the first inning to give Eastern the 1-0 lead. K. Williams would record her second home run of the season two innings later when she belted a two-run blast to break a 1-1 tie.
In the fifth inning, Eastern would add to its lead tacking on two more runs to make the score 5-1. After
Taylor Crown had doubled down the right field line, she scored one batter later when Bolger reached base safely on a fielding error. Mellisa Irick then plated Bolger two batters later when she doubled down the left field line.
DeSales trimmed the Eagles lead to just two in the bottom of the sixth scoring two runs, but Eastern would blow the game wide open int he top of the seventh. The Eagles plated six runs in the inning to take an 11-3 advantage.
Erin Johnson and Crown led off the inning reaching base safely to give Eastern runners on first and second with no outs. K. Williams singled two batters later to load the bases, and the next four batters in the lineup all came through with four straight RBI singles to extend the Eagles advantage to eight.
"Right off the bat
Alyssa Bolger set the tone for her teammates by hitting her first college career home run as the leadoff hitter," continued Emplit. "The rest just came one hit at a time as the team kept the momentum going."
The Bulldogs would tack on two runs late to make the score final at 11-5.
Six different Eastern players recorded RBI's for the day while all nine Eastern batters posted at least one hit in game one. K. Williams went 2-4, scoring two runs and totaling two RBI's while Bolger went 2-4, with an RBI and scored three runs.
In game two Eastern got off to a quick start again but was unable to keep the momentum going as DeSales homered twice en route to the 6-2 victory.
Kelsey Clever gave Eastern the lead in the top of the first when she doubled down the left field line to plate K. Williams for the 1-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs would score the next three runs tying the game in the bottom of the first inning off a solo home run and then tally back-to-back RBI singles in the third to take a 3-1 lead.
In the top of the fifth, the Eagles cut the deficit to just one when Clever singled to left this time to score K. Williams. However, DeSales pulled away in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run home run to make the score final at 6-2.
"I think offensively the entire team has made progress," concluded Emplit. "They are seeing the ball better and making solid contact. That will help us as we finish out our season."
Eastern hosts Immaculata on April 25th starting at 3 pm.
