Softball

SELINSGROVE, PA-The York College softball squad swept their second doubleheader in as many days as the Spartans took a pair of games from Susquehanna University on Thursday afternoon in Selinsgrove, PA. The Spartans won game one 5-4 in eight innings before they downed the Crusaders 8-2 in the nightcap. The Spartans are now 27-10 overall while the Crusaders fall to 10-21.

Game one saw the hosts jump out to a 2-0 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. The Spartans got one of those runs back in the top of the third as Kelly Smith (Riverdale, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) tripled and scored on a Michelle Barwick (Cockeysville, Md./Dulaney) squeeze bunt.

York tied the game on a Sam Lawrence (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) RBI squeeze bunt in the fourth. The green and white added a third run in the fifth before the Crusaders tied the game at three in the bottom of the fifth.

Once the game went to the eighth inning, the tiebreaker rule took effect. The Spartans took the lead in an unconventional manner as Lawrence jacked a two-run home to give the Spartans a 5-3 lead. The Crusaders pushed across their runner from second but that would be all as the Spartans captured the win.

Senior Megan Mickles (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) earned the win as she tossed eight innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits. Mickles struck out six and did not walk a batter as she improves to 13-6.

Bekah Bennett took the hard luck loss as she allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits with four walks and three strikeouts. She falls to 2-6 for the campaign.

Smith led the Spartan offense as she was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Barwick was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored while Ali Merrifield (York, Pa./Dallastown) added two hits and a run scored. Heather Bormann (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) added a hit in the game. Bormann broke the school single season record for hits in yesterday’s doubleheader. She now has 59 hits for the season.

Danielle McCann paced the Crusaders as she was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Gretchen Halsey also had two hits for the hosts.

In the nightcap, the Spartans exploded for three first inning runs. Smith had an RBI double to plate the first run while Barwick added the second run with an RBI single. Merrifield made it 3-0 with another RBI single in the frame.

Susquehanna cut into the lead with a first inning run but York responded with a four run second inning to push the lead to 7-1. Susquehanna scored a single run in the sixth while the green and white closed out the scoring with a single run in the top of the seventh.

Mickles started the game but after the offensive outburst, junior Nicole Kerfoot (Owings, Md./Northern) relieved Mickles and earned the win. Kerfoot tossed five innings, allowing one run on three hits with one strikeout. She improves to 1-2 with the win. Mickles tossed the first two innings of the game, allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.

Halsey suffered the loss as she allowed seven runs on five hits with two walks in 1.1 innings of work. She falls to 3-3 with the loss. Cara Swerdlow relieved Halsey and allowed one run on three hits with 13 strikeouts and two walks in 5.2 innings of work.

Smith concluded her big day with two hits, three RBI, and two runs scored. Barwick also had a big second game with two hits and two RBI. Lawrence was 1-for-2 with three runs scored while Merrifield, who has eight hits in the last four games, was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Laurie Blaszka led the Crusaders as she was 1-for-3 with two RBI while Megan McCurley was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

The Spartans return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Franklin & Marshall for a non-conference twinbill. Game one is scheduled for a 3:30 pm start.  

GAME ONE BOX

GAME TWO BOX