Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University softball team picked up wins in both ends of a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Blankley Field against visiting Stevenson University by scores of 2-1 and 8-4. With the wins, Arcadia evens its conference record at 5-5 and improves its overall record to 8-14. Stevenson drops to 1-5 in the Commonwealth while falling to 11-12 overall with the losses.

Sophomore pitcher Erin Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa.) picked up the complete game victory in game one, to improve her record to 5-6, after scattering six hits and two walks while striking out four and only surrendering one unearned run. Wilson then came in the second game in the sixth inning with a 6-2 lead and bases loaded, and was able to shut the door on the Mustangs to pick up her first career save.

Game 1: Stevenson 1, Arcadia 2

Hits and runs were scarce for both teams in game one but Arcadia was able to edge out Stevenson in the 2-1 decision.

The Knights struck first in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Junior Jessica Shotwell (Winsted, CT) led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single and was able to reach second because of an errant throw from Stevenson's pitcher. Shotwell then made it to third because of a well-executed sacrifice bunt from sophomore Nicole Larro (Cedarville, N.J.). Sophomore Sara Boyadjis (Cedar Knolls, N.J.) then powered a one-out double to the left field fence and scored Shotwell to jump out to the early lead.

Both teams were silent offensively for the better half of the game as each pitcher continued to stymie the other offense.

The Knights would however add an insurance run in the bottom half of the fifth. Sophomore Natalie O'Reilly (Honesdale, Pa.) led off for the Knights and reached first because of an error from Stevenson's second baseman and would come back to hurt the Mustangs. Freshman Katherine Ghyzel (Rochester, N.Y.) pinch ran for O'Reilly and reached third after a sacrifice bunt and a single. Ghyzel would then cross home the next at-bat because of a throw from the catcher, on a pickoff attempt, ricocheted off of Ghyzel into the outfield.   

Stevenson would not go down without a fight and responded in the very next half inning. Sophomore Tiffany Kahl (Glen Burnie, Md.) led off the inning with a single through the left side and then senior Kristen Fassler (Ownings Mills, Md.) singled, which advanced Kahl to third and because of the throw advanced Fassler to second base.

Wilson then settled down and got two big outs from a foul out and a strikeout on three pitches. She was able to induce a groundball which would have been the end to the Mustangs threat, but a fielding error extended the inning and allowed their first run of the game to cross home plate. She, however, was able to induce another groundball and end the inning.

Wilson (5-6) was then able to sit down the Mustangs in order in their last at-bats to close out the game and pick up her fifth complete game of the year.

For Stevenson, junior Briana Pichalski (Port Reading, N.J.) suffered the complete game loss in the pitching circle, dropping her record to 6-5. In her six innings of work, she gave up two runs and scattered five hits and a walk, while recording two strikeouts.

Game 2: Stevenson 4, Arcadia 8

Stevenson drew first damage in the top half of the first to lead off the game. Kahl laid down a perfect bunt with two outs and beat it out to get on base. Fassler followed that up with a single of her own past Boyadjis and Kahl advanced to third on the play. Senior Lindsey Kuczak then hit Stevenson's third hit in a row to right field, which scored Kahl, but the inning ended after Fassler was thrown out at third because of a throw from Shotwell that was right on the money.

The Mustangs would hold the 1-0 lead all the way up until the bottom half of the fourth inning. The Knights led off the inning with two straight singles from Larro and Boyadjis. Another single from senior Leanda Halms (Topton, Pa.) loaded the bases and sophomore Alicia McMahon (Bel Air, Md.) drew an RBI walk to tie up the game. Sophomore pitcher Sarah Gunia (East Brunswick, N.J.) helped out her own cause by hitting a sacrifice fly to right field to score Boyadjis and take their first lead of the game.

Stevenson, however, would respond in the next half inning after three straight singles loaded the bases and Kuczak grounded into a fielder's choice to score pinch runner Abbey DeFeo (Columbia, Md.) and knot the game at two.

The Knights would respond right back to take the lead and not look back from there. Senior Ashley John (Columbus, N.J.) led off the inning by reaching base by way of a fielding error, which would come back and haunt the Mustangs. Arcadia loaded the bases and senior Jessica Wood (Columbus, N.J.) produced an RBI single to score classmate Amanda Tomaschek (Toms River, N.J.)

Helms would then hit a sacrifice fly to right field in the next at-bat of the frame to score Shotwell. McMahon and Gunia kept the rally going by hitting back-to-back two-out RBI singles and make the Mustangs pay for the error in the first at-bat of the inning by pushing the lead to four runs.

The Knights then had a two-out error of their own in the top half of the sixth that could have cost them the lead. With two outs, the Mustangs singled and walked and then a fielding error loaded the bases with the tying run at the plate.

Wilson came into the game in relief of Gunia, but gave up a two-run single to the first batter. After a stolen base, Stevenson had two in scoring position and the go-ahead run at the plate, but Wilson came up big with a strikeout to end the threat.

Arcadia would get those two runs back in the bottom portion of the sixth after Wood and Helms produced back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to four.

Just like the first game, Wilson shut down the Mustangs in order in their last at-bats and earned her first collegiate save. In her 1.1 innings of relief, she gave up only one hit and struck out two.

Gunia (3-7) earned the victory in the pitching circle in her 5.2 innings of work. She surrendered four runs on ten hits and a walk and recorded three strikeouts.

Suffering the loss for Stevenson was sophomore Molly Hoyt (Parsippany, N.J.) after giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks.

Wood, Helms, McMahon, and Gunia all recorded two RBIs each and combined for six hits in game two, with Wood and Helms each having two. Boyadjis went 1-for-3 at the plate, but crossed home three times in the game.

The Knights will be back in action Tuesday when they host Cabrini College for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Blankley Field.