BRADFORD, Pa. – The Hilbert College softball team suffered a 9-0 opening game setback but found their offense in the second game against Pitt-Bradford.
The Panthers pulled off another big-inning rally and took a 12-6 nightcap sweep over the Hawks.
Gabriella Bongiorno posted a pair of doubles and
Melanie Basile earned the game's only triple in the nightcap.
GAME TWO
Hilbert built an early lead by the bottom of the 3rd inning.
When trailing 2-0 by the time the Hawks went to bat in the bottom of the 1st,
Maia Delaney's hit placed her on first and Bongiorno's double sent her home.
Marisa McIntyre went through three batters in the 2nd which allowed the Hawks to pick up their bats again.
With two outs and bases loaded,
Alyssa Barnas' 2RBI single up the middle put Hilbert ahead for the first time in the 3rd.
Morgan Grosch's RBI single extended the lead (4-2) when she batted
Morgan McNeill home.
Both teams traded two runs in the 4th and went scoreless until the 6th, when the Panthers knotted the game at 6-all.
Bradford came up big on defense in the bottom half of the inning as they turned a double play in the field just before Basile poked her triple.
The Panthers' 7th inning rally produced six runs off five hits. Hilbert closed the game with two ducks on the pond, but Bradford got out of the inning with a win.
McIntyre (4-5) went 6.2 innings, struck out seven, walked ten, and gave up 11 earned runs off 12 hits.
Grosch, Barnas and Delaney each went 2-for-3 as Barnas and Basile knocked in two runs each.
GAME ONE
The Panthers benefited from a big 4th inning scoring push to claim a 5 inning victory.
After building a 3-0 lead through three innings, Bradford sent six runners home after making 11 appearances at the plate.
The Hawks connected with five hits, as
Hannah Prenoveau went 2 for 2 with a double down the left line in the bottom of the 5th.
Gabriella Bongiorno doubled to left center and
Maia Delaney and
Victoria Grayson added the two other hits.
Rachel Allen took her second loss in the circle after giving up five earned runs and six hits in 3.0 innings.
Melanie Basile closed the final two innings with four hits and two earned runs.
Hilbert (4-9, 0-4 AMCC) ) returns to action with a trio of double headers this weekend. The Hawk will battle at Alfred State College Friday, April 5 before they continue their bus trip to central Pa. Hilbert will square off at Mount Aloysius April 6 and then return to Hamburg to play their rescheduled AMCC double header against La Roche at 1pm.
Be sure to stay up-to-date on all your Hilbert Hawk scores and awards by following @HilbertAthletic on Twitter and by liking the "Hilbert College Athletics" Facebook page. Additionally, fans of the Hawks who have an Apple device can receive push notification from the newly created Hilbert College Hawks iOS SIDEARM mobile App which can be found in the Apple Store and ITunes.
