ERIE, Pa. — Hilbert College Softball continued conference play Friday afternoon with a doubleheader at Penn State–Behrend, where the Hawks lost a pair to the Lions, falling 9–3 in the opener and 8–0 in game two at Behrend Stadium.
Game One: Penn State–Behrend 9 – Hilbert 3
Penn State–Behrend grabbed control early in the opener, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding three more in the second to build an early advantage. The Lions strung together timely hits while capitalizing on baserunners to extend the lead through the middle innings.
Hilbert answered in the fifth with its most productive frame of the afternoon. After
Sadie Plotkin reached base and
Charly Mathews came on to pinch run,
Madison Esmond delivered her first career home run, an inside-the-park home run to right center that drove in three runs to pull the Hawks back within reach. Esmond ripped a line drive to the gap and used her speed to cruise around the based to slice the deficit in half.
However, Behrend responded with three runs of their own in the sixth to put the game away.
Esmond finished 2‑for‑3 with a double and a home run with three RBI, while
Grace Schwarzkopf and
Emma Gionta also collected hits.
Kimberly Bentley,
Kailey Stolowski, and
Alana Yadov combined in the circle for Hilbert.
Game Two: Penn State–Behrend 8 – Hilbert 0
The nightcap opened as a scoreless contest before Penn State–Behrend broke through in the second inning with a three‑run frame. The Lions continued to apply pressure in the third and fifth innings, extending the lead behind aggressive baserunning and timely hits.
Hilbert worked to generate offense throughout the game, putting together several baserunners but unable to convert scoring opportunities.
Vanessa Koenig recorded two hits, while
Madison Esmond and
Shelby Schimek each added singles as the Hawks totaled four hits.
Penn State–Behrend closed the scoring with a pair of runs in the sixth to secure the shutout.
Stephanie Mirras and
Kailey Stolowski split time in the circle, combining for six strikeouts on the afternoon.
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will head to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday beginning at 3 pm.
