YORK, Pa. - The York College softball team split its MAC Commonwealth semifinal doubleheader at home with Widener on Saturday. The Spartans jumped out to an early lead to claim a 6-1 victory in game one before falling, 2-1, in game two.

Team records

Widener 13-17

York 13-9

Game 1

York 6, Widener 1

WP: Shyla Pastore (5-3)

LP: Kait Jaworski (2-11)

How it happened

Following a 1-2-3 first inning with two strikeouts by Shyla Pastore, the Spartan offense came out of the gates hot with a pair of two-run homers by Alyssa Harhigh and Taylor Lindsay. Harhigh roped a line drive over the center field fence, while Lindsay stayed with a ball up in the zone and drove it just right of the left field scoreboard as the Spartans took a 4-0 lead.

The Spartans went back to work in the second as Natalie Decena poked an RBI-triple to right center score Elle Meyer from first. Decena later scored on a heads-up play as Harhigh grounded out to first.

The Pride put their first runner in scoring position when Carli Benozich led off the fourth inning with a triple to dead center field. Pastore went on to retire the next two batters in order with a ground out and a pop up to Ellie Denlinger. Becca Tiley then broke up the shutout bid as she jumped on the first pitch and ripped an RBI-single up the middle to bring in Benozich from third.

The Spartans threatened in the fifth as they loaded the bases with less than two outs. Kait Jaworski reentered circle to replace the injured Mikayla Fedele and after walking Lindsay, buckled down to strikeout the final two batters with the bases juiced.

After surrendering the run in the fourth, Pastore went on to throw three-straight hitless innings to end the game. The Spartan senior scattered just four hits through seven innings of work and struck out five in her fifth complete game of the season.

Game 2

Widener 2, York 1

WP: Jennifer Sieminski ( 8-4)

LP: Hannah Vogt (2-3)

How it happened

Widner struck first with a run in the first inning as Lindsey Cooper grounded out to second to bring in Ally McDowell from third. The Pride did not record a hit in the inning as they took advantage of back-to-back walks to start the game.

The Spartans tied it up in the second inning with an RBI single up the middle by Taylor Lindsay. Daphney Adams put herself in scoring position as she led off the inning with a triple to right center.

Widener regained the lead in the third on a Spartan throwing error. McDowell put herself in scoring position with a one-out triple down the right field line and then scored on an Elle Meyer throw that went wide at first attempting to throw out a speedy Bella Walker.

The Spartans had a chance to tie or move into the lead with two runners in scoring position in the fourth, but Widener pitcher Jennifer Sieminski worked an inning-ending strikeout to get out unscathed. York threatened again in the fifth after Natalie Decena singled up the middle with two outs and Alyssa Harhigh moved Decena into scoring position after getting hit by a pitch, but Sieminski got Adams to foul out to first to end the inning. York threatened yet again in the sixth with runners on first and second, but the Pride turned a 5-3 inning-ending double play to once again spoil the Spartan rally.

Widener rolled up a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh to clinch the game two victory. The Spartans left seven runners stranded throughout the game as they doubled up the Pride in hits.

Up Next

The Spartans travel to Widener tomorrow to finish out the quarterfinal series at 1 p.m. The winner will face Lebanon Valley in the MAC Commonwealth semifinals.

Notes

Elle Meyer registered her 100th career hit in game one as she has 102 for her career… Myer joins teammate Shyla Pastore in the Spartan 100-hit club … Alyssa Harhigh is the next in line to join the club as she sits on 99 career hits.