GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University softball team dropped both ends of a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader to visiting Messiah College Sunday afternoon at Blankley Field, dropping game-one 11-0 in five innings and game-two 16-4 in five innings. The Falcons improved to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the Knights fell to 5-9 overall and 0-6 in conference action. These were the first two home games of the season for Arcadia.
The Knights were charged with six errors in game-one that resulted in all 11 Messiah runs being unearned. The Falcons got on the board with one run in the third before scoring five times in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Junior Courtney Allen was 3 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and two driven in for Messiah, while classmate Becky Notte was 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Fellow junior Claressa Mees tossed a three-hit shutout in the pitchers circle, improving her record to 3-3 on the year.
Senior
Jessica Shotwell was 2 for 3 in game-one for the Knights, while junior
Nicki Larro was 1 for 3. Classmate
Erin Wilson fell to 2-5 after allowing 11 unearned runs on nine hits and five walks.
Allen got the Falcons off the a fast start in the top of the first in game-two, driving in a pair of runs with a single through the left side of the infield and later scoring on a wild pitch as Messiah scored at least one run in each inning of the game. It was 10-4 through three innings before a five-run fourth put the game away.
Arcadia got on the board in the bottom of the first as Larro advanced to third on a single to center off the bat of junior
Alicia McMahon and then scored from third after the throw from center was too high to be handled at third. Junior
Sara Boyadjis drove in two runs with a double to center in the bottom of the third and then scored on McMahon's single to left center.
Freshman Carrie Fix gave up four unearned runs on five hits and three walks as her record moved to 4-3, and helped her own cause by going 4 for 4 at the plate with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored from the leadoff spot in the order in game-two. Allen went 2 for 5 with four RBI and a run scored.
Boyadjis finished 1 for 2 with two RBI and a run scored in game-two, while McMahon was 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and one RBI. Junior
Sarah Gunia took the loss in the circle after giving up 10 runs (eight earned) on seven hits and three walks in 2.1 innings of work. It was her first appearance of the season.
Arcadia will look to bounce back Monday when it hosts a non-conference doubleheader against Cairn University. Game-one is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Blankley Field.
