ESU Falls to Millersville

Dungee’s teammates celebrate her home run by doing the dab. Photo Credit / Ronald Hanaki Dungee’s teammates celebrate her home run by doing the dab. Photo Credit / Ronald Hanaki
Dungee’s teammates celebrate her home run by doing the dab. Photo Credit / Ronald Hanaki
Dungee’s teammates celebrate her home run by doing the dab.
Photo Credit / Ronald Hanaki

By Halle Frisco
Contributing Writer

The ESU Warriors entered PSAC play ranked fifth in the PSAC East preseason poll. Millersville was slated fourth out of the five teams in the PSAC East Division. The Warriors started their 2016 season 9-5.

On Friday, Mar. 25, ESU lost to Millersville 0-2 in Game 1 and 2-3 in Game 2.

The Warriors were led by junior starting pitcher Rachael Liguori (5-5, 3.81 ERA) who earned a career high of 12 strikeouts and avoided allowing any earned runs in Game 1.

She pitched three innings before Millersville earned a run in the top of the fourth. She allowed no hits in the fifth inning of the game, earning three strikeouts.

Senior catcher Haley Thomas led the team in putouts with a total of 12 in Game 1. Thomas is also the PSAC leader in batting (.548), on-base percentage (.556) and slugging percentage (.929).

She has been named the PSAC Softball Athlete of the Week for the past two weeks, but the Warriors fell 0-2 in Game 1.

The Warriors came out gunning in Game 2, earning 9 hits, including one home run from senior first baseman, Danielle Dungee.

ESU had 10 LOB compared to Millersville’s 11. The Warriors forced the Marauders to go two extra innings before falling 2-3 in the ninth. The Warriors’ overall record dropped to 9-7.

Senior pitchers Amanda Carlin and Allison Mende split time on the mound, Carlin pitched in the first three innings and earned two strikeouts.

Allison Mende threw innings three through nine and earned three strikeouts and allowed no earned runs in her seven innings pitched.

Danielle Dungee’s home run in the bottom of the fourth was her third of the season, and Haley Thomas earned one RBI, helping ESU tie the score at two in the bottom of the sixth.

Rae Holden’s leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth allowed pinch-runner Kendra Barlotta to steal and then score off Thomas’s single.

ESU continued on to face Kutztown University in a home doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 26.

Email Halle at:
hfrisco@live.esu.edu