GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Westminster College softball team took down Grove City on the road Tuesday, winning both games by mercy rule in six innings (9-0 in game one, 9-1 in game two).
In game one, Westminster (26-2, 10-2 PAC) shot out to a 3-0 lead over Grove City (11-15, 6-6 PAC) when junior
Madison Brown (Lisbon, OH / East Liverpool) hit a three-run double in the first. Both teams were quiet on offense over the next four innings before senior
Haley Bedalota (Aliquippa, PA / Hopewell) hit an RBI-single in the fifth to send sophomore
Brooke Atkins (New Castle, PA / Laurel) home. The Titans extended their lead to 6-0 in the fifth with sophomore
Leah Pancake (North Lima, OH / Beaver Local)hitting a sac-fly to bring classmate
Alexis Yates (Oakdale, PA / South Fayette) home, followed by Brown hitting a single to drive in a Bedalota run. In the sixth, Yates smashed one to left center for a two-RBI triple and Pancake grounded out to bring in a Yates run and bring the final tally to 9-0. Brown pitched a complete game, only allowing two hits and striking out six in the 9-0 shutout. She also led the team offensively with a career-high four RBIs. Yates and Pancake also contributed two RBIs apiece for the Titans.
In game two, sophomore
Mackenzie Latess (New Castle, PA / Laurel) got things going for the Titans in the third when she knocked one out of the park. Her three-run homer was her first homerun of the season and put Westminster up 3-0. In the fourth, Bedalota followed suit with her first dinger of the year that sent Atkins home and gave the Titans a 5-0 advantage. Westminster kept it rolling in the fifth with a sac-fly by first-year
Elizabeth Malczak (Grove City, PA / Grove City) to bring in a Latess run and an RBI-double from sophomore
Ashley Wire (Poland, OH / Poland Seminary) to send classmate
Alexandra Pfab (Cranberry Twp, PA / Seneca Valley) home. Westminster went on to score two more runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 9-0. Grove City scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Titan defense held and Westminster won by mercy rule, 9-1. Latess had a big day on offense, batting 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Bedalota also showed up for the Titans, batting 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Malczak earned her 13
th win of the season in the circle, striking out five and allowing six hits.
Westminster will head to Waynesburg for another PAC doubleheader Saturday, April 24. Game one is set to begin at 1 p.m.