MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Hilbert College Softball continued its spring‑break slate on Tuesday with a split, powering to a 10–6 win over Penn State–Scranton in the opener before falling 12–4 to Penn State–Abington in the late morning matchup. The Hilbert offense delivered 14 hits in game one and 11 Hawks recorded at least one hit between the two contests.
Game One: Hilbert 10 – Penn State–Scranton 6
Hilbert recovered quickly from an early 1–0 deficit by putting together a three‑run second inning.
Ava Higgins,
Grace Schwarzkopf, and
Miyah Lopez started the rally with a walk and back‑to‑back singles before
Sadie Plotkin delivered the first RBI of the morning.
Kaitlin Stolowski followed with an RBI groundout, and
Madison Esmond capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to give the Hawks a 3–1 advantage.
After Scranton tied the game in the third, the Hawks regained the lead behind Schwarzkopf's RBI single. The turning point came in the sixth, when Hilbert erupted for six runs on six hits.
Emma Gionta opened the scoring with a bases‑clearing double, followed by an RBI double from
Shelby Schimek. Higgins added a sacrifice fly, Schwarzkopf drove in another run, and Lopez chipped in with a single. The big inning pushed Hilbert ahead 10–5, providing enough cushion to secure the win.
Kimberly Bentley went the distance in the circle, tossing seven innings while allowing eight hits and striking out three to earn the win. Offensively, Gionta, Soliz, Schwarzkopf, and Stolowski all recorded multiple hits, with Schwarzkopf leading the way, going 3‑for‑4 with two RBI.
Game Two: Penn State–Abington 12 – Hilbert 4
In game two, Abington struck early and consistently, scoring in each of the first three innings to build a 3–1 lead. Hilbert answered in the bottom of the first when
Shelby Schimek delivered an RBI double to score
Madison Esmond and tie the game.
The Lions broke the game open in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring six combined runs with a pair of triples. Hilbert produced its strongest response in the sixth when
Victoria Koenig singled,
Kaitlin Stolowski followed with another base hit, and
Emma Gionta drove home two with a double to center. Despite the late push, Abington closed the door in the seventh to secure the win.
Gionta led Hilbert with two RBI, while Schimek added another multi‑hit game and Stolowski reached base three times.
Grace Schwarzkopf and
Ava Higgins each contributed two hits as part of Hilbert's nine‑hit effort.
UP NEXT:
After an off day tomorrow, the Hawks will conclude play in Myrtle Beach with a doubleheader against Keystone College on Thursday beginning at 9 am.
