LANCASTER, Pa. – On a sunny Sunday two United East Conference softball teams met on the diamond both seeking their first conference wins of the season.
Unfortunately, Gallaudet dropped the twin bill to Lancaster Bible College by the scores of 4-2 and 14-6 in five innings. This doubleheader was rescheduled from a rainout back on March 27.
Gallaudet (4-14, 0-8 United East) coughed up leads in both games to Lancaster Bible (8-13, 2-4 United East) who leaned on the long ball to create its rallies against the Bison.
Game 1: Lancaster Bible 4, Gallaudet 2
First year
Cassidy Perry (Frederick, Md.) scored both GU runs in the first game as she stole third base and scored on a Charger error in the second inning and got knocked in by first year
Olivia Taufu'i (Blackfoot, Idaho) as the Bison led 2-0 in the fourth inning.
Lancaster Bible's bats woke up in the bottom of the fourth when Phoebe Clemens hit a solo home run with one out. Then a walk and back-to-back singles and a Bison error with two outs led to two Charger runs as the host led 3-2.
KariAnn Mecke added a solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Sophomore starting pitcher
Christina Elsbury (Uniontown, Ohio) took the loss in the circle for the Bison. Elsbury (2-7) struck out six Chargers in six innings of work.
Alyssa Hamilton (5-6) threw a complete game where she allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, no walks and one strikeout.
Game 2: Lancaster Bible 14, Gallaudet 6 (F/5)
GU got off to an excellent start in the second game as the Bison scored four runs in the top of the first inning. The inning featured a little bit of everything as Gallaudet pulled off a double steal to score a run, hit a sacrifice fly to plate a run and RBI singles got the visitors off to a great start up 4-0.
Elsbury singled home sophomore
Lacey Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.), who reached on a bunt single and stole second base. First year
Andi Sisemore (Arlington, Texas) singled home Elsbury and moved Perry to third base. Sisemore and Perry then pulled off a double steal as GU led 3-0.
Adele Daniels (Frederick, Md.) flied out to center field but it was enough to get Sisemore home from third base as Gallaudet led by four.
LBC got two of those runs back in the bottom of the opening frame as Hamilton led off with a solo home run to left-center field. Clemens doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch as the Chargers cut the led down to 4-2.
Drolsbaugh hit her first collegiate home run in the second inning with a two-run shot to center field as GU led 6-2.
In the bottom of the second, Hamilton stepped to the plate with two outs and two on and blasted a three-run home run off Elsbury. Drolsbaugh replaced Elsbury in the circle as the Bison defense committed two errors as LBC scored five runs in the frame and took a 7-6 lead.
Drolsbaugh and LBC pitcher Riley Danko found their groove for the third and fourth innings. Danko relieved starting pitcher Noelle Martin who surrendered all of GU's runs in the first two innings.
Perry singled to begin the fifth inning but a double play and a subsequent ground out ended the threat for the buff and blue.
The bottom fell out for the Bison in the bottom of the fifth as the Chargers scored seven runs to end the game, 14-6, by the eight-run mercy rule after five innings.
Hamilton (3-for-4, three runs, six RBI) added a two-run double and Clemens (2-for-4, three runs, two RBI) hit her second home run on the day, third for the season. Clemens' two-run shot to left field with one out ended the game.
Drolsbaugh (2-7) took the loss in 2.2 innings of relief work where she recorded four strikeouts. Danko (1-2) threw four scoreless innings of relief where she struck out five Bison and allowed two hits and one hit by pitch.
UP NEXT
GU is back at home against Penn St.-Abington (11-11, 5-3 United East) this Wednesday, April 10, at 3 p.m. for a conference doubleheader.
