LHU Softball explodes for 18 runs in sweep at Holy Family

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: March 20, 2022

Courtesy of Lock Haven Athletics

The LHU softball team notched 18 runs to secure a doubleheader sweep of the Tigers in the Bald Eagles’ non-conference finale.

BENSALEM, Pa. – Behind three home runs and 29 hits, the Lock Haven University (8-5) softball team rolled to a pair of victories on Sunday afternoon in a twin bill with Holy Family University (3-15). Lock Haven cruised to a 9-1 victory in the opener before taking a 9-8 victory in the second game.

Game 1: W, 9-1 (5 innings)

In the first game of the day, the Bald Eagles took an early lead and never looked back as they took the opener by a 9-1 tally in five innings.

Riley McClellan (Granville Summit, Pa./Troy) got the scoring started in the top of the first. McClellan belted a lead-off single to left field and swiped second base to quickly move into scoring position. Two batters later, Summer Peters (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) pushed McClellan home with a single to left field as the Bald Eagles opened up a 1-0 lead.

Following a scoreless second inning, LHU blew the game wide open with a six-run third inning. Delaney Good (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) singled to third base and stole second to start the inning. Good was pushed home later in the inning along with Peters as the LHU lead stood at 3-0.

Lock Haven took advantage of a slew of Holy Family miscues in the inning to add two more runs before rounding out the scoring with an RBI-single from the bat of Mikayla Ruppert (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and a McClellan double to right to extend the lead to 7-0.

Holy Family responded to the Lock Haven outburst with a run of its own in the home half of the third to trim the lead to 7-1 after three innings of play.

After a scoreless fourth inning, the Bald Eagles put the game in the books in a big way in the fifth inning. Morgan Karasek (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) reached base on a fielder’s choice and stole second to put a runner in scoring position with two outs. McClellan followed with a two-run homer over the left-field fence to extend the Lock Haven lead to 9-1.

Holy Family went down in order in the bottom of the fifth as the Bald Eagles secured the game-one victory by a 9-1 tally in five innings.

McClellan led the Bald Eagles offense with a 3-for-4 effort. The Granville Summit, Pa. native also scored two runs and led the way with three RBI.

Madison Waltman (Turbotville, Pa./Warrior Run)earned the victory for the Bald Eagles. Waltman allowed one run on three hits and fanned four Holy Family batters to notch her sixth victory of the season.

Game 2: W, 9-8

Both teams exploded at the plate in the second game as the Bald Eagles had to come from behind to take a 9-8 victory.

Lock Haven capitalized on a Holy Family miscue to get on the board in the first. Haley Lestician (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) reached base on an error and pushed home Good to push the Bald Eagles out to a 1-0 advantage. Lestician scored later in the inning on a Bella Schmitt (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) single to center field as the Bald Eagles owned a 2-0 lead.

Holy Family answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the first to knot the game up at a 2-2 tally.

After a scoreless second frame, Lock Haven added a pair of runs in the third to regain the lead. Sydney Arrigale (Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional) roped a double to the gap in center field and pushed home Ruppert in the process to hand the lead back to the Bald Eagles at a 3-2 margin. Later in the inning, Rianna Trexler (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) singled down the left field line, plating Arrigale to extend the LHU advantage to 4-2 after two-and-a-half innings of action.

Holy Family once again responded to the Lock Haven bats with a pair of solo homers in the third to tie the game up at four runs each.

The Bald Eagles joined in on the home run fest in the fifth when Lestican belted a pitch over the left field fence, pushing Lock Haven back in front by a 5-4 score. Arrigale added an insurance run later in the inning when she doubled to the gap in right field and scored Ruppert. Lock Haven rounded out its three-run inning when Trexler doubled to right field and plated Arrigale as the Bald Eagles led by a 7-4 score.

In the home half of the fifth, Holy Family scored a run to chip away at the LHU lead before taking the lead in the sixth with a solo homer and a two-RBI double

Lock Haven didn’t trail for long. Arrigale led off the seventh with a home run to right center to tie the game up at 8-8. Amanda Criss (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) reached base on a fielder’s choice and scored later in the inning on a Peters single up the middle to push LHU back in front by a 9-8 score.

In the bottom of the seventh, LHU slammed the door on the Holy Family lineup, putting the Tigers down in order to secure a 9-8 win.

Good led the Lock Haven offense with a 4-for-5 game. Peters, Arrigale and Trexler added three hits each with Arrigale notching three RBI and scoring three runs.

Kinley Gioglio (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg)picked up the win. Gioglio pitched four innings in relief of Jada Schellhammer (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) and allowed four runs on six hits and fanned three Tigers batters.

Up Next:

The Bald Eagles are back in action on Friday, March 25 when they open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play on the road at Slippery Rock. First pitch against Slippery Rock is set for 2:00 p.m.