CHESTER, Pa.– Eastern University Softball had not won at Widener since 2006, and had only one win against the Pride in the last ten years, but after winning the opener 4-1, a sweep seemed to be in play. Though they only tallied four hits in the nightcap, the host Pride built a 3-0 lead and held off a late Eastern charge to split the result.
Lexi Evelyn picked up the win and drove ina pair in the opener.
The two sides locked into a pitchers' duel in the first game. Evelyn allowed only one hit through the first five innnings, but Widener starter Kait Jaworski matched her pitch-for-pitch. The Eagles only hit in the first five frames came on a
Sami Britton buntto lead off the fourth. When the Eagles finally scratched out a run to grab a lead in the top of the sixth, it was Britton who did the damage. With runners on first and second and no outs, she drove a double to center to knock in one. The Eagles left two stranded and it looked like that might come back to be a big problem when three of the first Widener hitters in the bottom of the inning reached on singles. Evelyn allowed just the one run.
The Eastern hitters put the ball in play in the seventh, and it paid dividends.
Kailah Altemose and
Kelci Cost reached on errors and moved into scoring position on a
Megan Kolakowski ground out. Evelyn delivered a double to give the Eagles a 3-1 edge. She later scored on a sacrifice fly from Britton.
Energized by a three-run lead, Evelyn struck out two and got a ground ball out to close out the game. Though the Eagles did earn a 9-8 home win in 2017, they had lost 14 in a row in Chester dating back to a 7-5 win in April of 2006.
Widener jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third inning of game two behind a walk, a bunt single and a double-steal against starter
Lauren Lofland. The Eagles stranded
Grace Gonzalez after she led off the second with a double. The Pride picked up an important insurance run in the bottom of the fifth before the Eagles found a run with a regular formula in the sixth.
Emily Loomis singled and scored on a
Grace Gonzalez double, but the Eagles were again unable to drive her in.
Altemose cracked a double to start the seventh, but there would be no late rally as the Widener defense did its job to earn the win.
The two teams will play tomorrow in St. Davids at noon.
