READING, Pa. – The Gallaudet University softball team closed out the 2024 season here Saturday against United East Conference foe Penn St.-Berks on a cool and rainy afternoon between the two Volt Division teams.
Penn St.-Berks (20-13, 13-7 United East) defeated the Bison 10-0 and 8-0 in five-inning games. Gallaudet concludes the 2024 season with a 4-28 record and 0-20 in conference play. The Bison started the season with a 4-4 record.
Game 1: Penn St.-Berks 10, Gallaudet 0 (F/5)
GU was held to one hit in the five-inning game as the host Nittany Lions scored five times in the bottom of the first and never looked back.
Sophomore
Lacey Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.) singled in the second inning and stole a base, but the Bison could not get her home and get on the scoreboard.
Penn St.-Berks plated four runs in the second and one in the fourth to activate the eight-run mercy rule after five innings of play.
Drolsbaugh (2-14) took the loss in the circle with four strikeouts in four innings pitched. Penn St.-Berks starting pitcher Paige Brightwell (11-7) earned the complete game shutout win with six strikeouts in five innings pitched.
Game 2: Penn St.-Berks 8, Gallaudet 0 (F/5)
The Nittany Lions came out swinging in the first inning against Gallaudet starting pitcher
Christina Elsbury (Uniontown, Ohio) and scored seven runs in the first frame. Peyton Vivian started things off with a two-run double and Brightwell finished things off with a three-run double in the first.
Penn St.-Berks ended the game in the bottom of the fifth with a run to reach the eight-run threshold after five innings played.
Gallaudet had five different batters record a hit in the loss.
Elsbury (2-14) finished the day with two strikeouts and 4.2 innings pitched.
Penn St.-Berks pitcher Mallory Duff (8-5) earned the five-inning shutout win with three strikeouts and surrendered five hits to the Bison.
SENIOR CLASS
This marked the final games for Gallaudet's graduating senior class;
Adele Daniels (Frederick, Md.),
Mallory Garcia (Rockwell, Texas),
Cassidy Perry (Frederick, Md.) and
Karla Gomez-Zepeda (Santa Rosa, Calif.). Daniels had a single in the second game and Gomez-Zepeda played in the outfield for both games. Garcia and Perry did not appear in the games.
UP NEXT
This concludes the 2024 season for the Bison softball team.