(Posted April 12, 2005)

Lycoming 5, Juniata 2 (8 innings)
Lycoming 2, Juniata 0

Huntingdon, Pa. ? Despite a pair of strong pitching performances, the Juniata College softball team was unable to pull together enough offense as the Eagles dropped a pair of non-conference games to visiting Lycoming College in Huntingdon Tuesday afternoon. Game one went to the visitors by a 5-2 score in eight innings, while the Eagles fell by a 2-0 score in game two. Juniata is now 11-13-1 overall while Lycoming improved to 10-5.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh in game one, Juniata broke though with a pair of runs as Julie Hatfield (Southern Cayuga/Scipio Center, N.Y.) delivered a two-RBI double to tie the score at two.

Lycoming then began the top of the eighth with a runner on second base as per the rules in extra innings. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third, Jana Reitz notched an inside the park home run of Eagle starter Kim Stoia (Morris Hills/Rockaway, N.J.) to put the visitors in front 4-2. Melissa McCoy then followed with a home run to center to put Lycoming up 5-3. Lizzie Bartosik (Penn/Granger, In.) came on in relief and fanned the next two batters to get out of the inning. The Eagles began the bottom of the inning with a runner on second, but were unable to mount a second comeback.

The only other two runs of the game came in the top of the sixth when Reitz and Amy Curry each drove in runs for the visitors.

Those were the only threats the Warriors mounted against Stoia as the freshman went 7 1-3 innings, allowing just four runs on seven hits while striking out four. The first run of the eighth inning was charged to the team.

Juniata knocked out five hits in the game, but were unable to break through until the seventh against Warrior hurler Morgan Mantle who went all eight innings and allowed two runs and struck out seven.

Kim Wagner (Middletown/Middletown) led off both the first and fourth innings with singles, but could not advance past second in either frame.

In game two, Juniata got a complete game eight-hitter from Bartosik but could not push any runs across as they fell by a 2-0 score.

Bartosik gave up a run in the third on an RBI single from Marianne Simpson, and then another in the fourth when Betsy Reese notched an RBI double. That was all the scoring from the Warriors as Bartosik scattered four hits in the other five innings. She punched out six Lycoming batters in the game, but was charged with her fourth loss of the season.

Juniata again managed five hits in the game, this time coming against Lycoming starter Kristen Reese. The Eagles put a pair of runners on with one out in the fourth. Allison D?Ambrosia (State College/Boalsburg) was hit by a pitch, and Danielle Buzin (Central Bucks East/Jamison) followed with a single. But Reese worked out of the jam with a foul-out and a groundout to end the inning.

A Hatfield single and a walk put two runners on again with two outs in the fifth, but had the inning end with a hard line drive out right at the third baseman. Juniata would not threaten again as Reese earned her fourth win of the season.

Wagner finished with a pair of hits in the game to lead the Eagle attack.

Juniata gets back in action on Saturday with a conference doubleheader on the road at Moravian.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.