KISSIMMEE,
FLA – The York College softball team won a taut and exciting
game against Ferrum College, 3-2 in eight innings, on Tuesday
afternoon in Kissimmee, Florida. The game was delayed by three
hours as heavy rains inundated central Florida on Tuesday morning.
The game was originally scheduled to be a part of a double header
but game two has been pushed to Thursday afternoon.
The Spartans remain perfect at 5-0 while the
Panthers are now 4-1.
Ferrum struck first as pitcher Rachel Shumaker
drilled a solo home run in the top of the second, giving the
Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The game remained a one-run Ferrum lead for
then next four frames as York couldn't get anything going
against Panther starter Shumaker. The Panthers were having an
equally tough time against Spartan ace Brittany Therres
(Hughesville, Md./Thomas Stone) as she settled in after
giving up the home run. The Panthers had a runner at second with
one out in the top of the sixth but Spartan shortstop
Heather Bormann (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial)
turned an unassisted double play to get York out of the jam.
Bormann then came through yet again for the
Spartans in the bottom of the sixth as she tied the game with a
double, scoring freshman Hannah Hugel (Paoli,
Pa./Conestoga) who singled with one out for the Spartans.
The Spartans threatened in the bottom of the
seventh as they had runners at first and second with two outs but
reliever Allyson Stevens got out of trouble, recording the final
out of the frame.
The international tiebreaker took effect as
the teams headed to the eighth and Ferrum was able to push across
their second run of the game on a Michelle Dunstan RBI single.
Therres got out of the eighth without any further damage, giving
the Spartans a chance to tie or win the game in the bottom of the
frame.
The Spartan eighth started with Sam
Lawrence (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) on second. She advanced
to third on a passed ball and scored when Hugel laced a single to
left field. Hugel advanced to second on the throw to the plate,
which allowed the Panthers to intentionally walk Bormann.
Megan Van Meter (Hanover, Md./Archbishop Spalding)
next loaded the bases with single to right. Junior Kelly
Smith (Riverdale, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) then won the
game with a fielder's choice to third that scored Hugel with
the Spartans' third run of the game.
Therres improves to 4-0 as she allowed two
runs, one earned, on six hits in her eight innings of work. She
struck out two and walked one in her stint. Stevens took the loss
as she falls to 2-1 for the campaign. She allowed two unearned runs
on four hits with one walk in her 1.2 innings of action. Shumaker
threw the first six innings, allowing a run on three hits with two
strikeouts in her no-decision.
Bormann finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI
while Hugel continues to play well as a first-year Spartan. Hugel
was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Shumaker led the Panther offense as she was
1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored courtesy of her first
collegiate home run. Dunstan went 1-for-1 with an RBI for the
Panthers.
The two teams will tangle again on Thursday as
the game has been rescheduled for 3:00 pm. The Spartans will play
three games on Thursday as they play Widener at 9:00 am followed by
a contest against RIT at 1:00 pm.
