By Ronald Hanaki
Sports Editor
On Tuesday, March 17, ESU’s softball team swept its doubleheader against the Bowie State Bulldogs in Bowie, Maryland.
In the first game, the Warriors muzzled the Bulldogs 4-0 behind sophomore pitcher Rachael Liguori’s 2-hit complete game shutout. Liguori recorded 5 strikeouts in the win.
The Warriors scored 4 runs off 12 hits. Freshman Mary Wallick went 3-4 and scored 1 run.
In the third inning, freshman right fielder Katherine Liedberg’s leadoff double, led to ESU having runners at the corners. The Warriors drew first blood when senior center fielder Kasey Meckes hit a sacrifice fly to score Liedberg.
Senior first baseman, Cara McNeil, followed with an RBI single to plate third baseman, Mary Wallick, for an early 2-0 lead.
The Warriors picked up insurance runs in the fifth and seventh innings and coasted to a 4-0 win.
In the first inning of the second game, Kasey Meckes reached first base on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Cara McNeil’s RBI triple scored Meckes.
In the bottom of the second inning, Bowie State would tie the game with an RBI single.
ESU would retake the lead in the top of the third inning when Meckes hit an RBI triple to score Mary Wallick. That was followed by McNeil’s RBI single that scored Meckes. ESU now led the game 3-1.
Bowie State would scratch across one more run in the bottom of the third inning, but ESU got the run back in the sixth inning when junior second baseman, Haley Thomas, hit a solo home run.
In the top of the seventh inning, Meckes hit an RBI ground out to first base that plated Katherine Liedberg to make the final score 5-2.
Junior Allison Mende pitched in relief of junior starting pitcher, Amanda Carlin, and picked up the win. Mende (3-1) pitched 4.2 scoreless innings and gave up 3 hits and struck out 2 Bulldogs.
Separately, the softball games against Lock Haven originally scheduled for Friday have been postponed to Tuesday afternoon, March 24 due to Friday’s anticipated inclement weather.
ESU’s home game against Shippensburg on Saturday, March 21 will now be played at Shippensburg.
Email Ronald at:
rhanaki@live.esu.edu
