LHU Softball stays hot on the road, sweeps Mansfield

MANSFIELD – The Lock Haven softball team ended its six-game road trip in a dominant way by taking a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division games from Mansfield, 13-4 and 14-3, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon (April 16).

With the sweep, the Bald Eagles (15-21, 11-13 PSAC East) take three out of four games from Mansfield (11-23, 2-22 PSAC East) in the season series.

Lock Haven, who finished its road trip with a 4-2 record, has jumped into a tie for the fifth and final postseason spot in the in the PSAC East in the win column.

Lock Haven, who has been excellent in the circle during the road stand, erupted for 27 runs on 29 hits on the afternoon.

Game 1 Recap: Lock Haven 13, Mansfield 4 (5 Innings)

After trailing 2-1 through two innings of play, the Bald Eagles offense took over as they scored nine runs over the next three innings, before putting the nail in the coffin with three runs in the top of the seventh to soar to victory.

During the middle-inning rally, the Bald Eagles scored nine runs on 10 hits and never looked back.

Every starter recorded a base knock for The Haven, led by multi-hit games from Bella Schmitt (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York), Summer Peters (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), Madison Melius (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) and Haley Lestician (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence).

Lestician drove in a game-high four runs, while Peters and Hailey Irwin (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) each drove in three.

Lestician belted her second home run of the season, while Melius, Peters, Schmitt and Maci Brodzina (Warriors Mark, Pa./Tyrone) all doubled.

Keiva Middleton (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) picked up the victory on the mound in relief after throwing the final four innings and not allowing a run and surrendering only one hit. Lock Haven starter Madison Wolfgang (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) tossed the first three-complete innings, allowing three earned runs, while adding four strikeouts.

Game 2 Recap: Lock Haven 14, Mansfield 3

Lock Haven carried the momentum right into game two and struck for four runs in the first, three in the second and two more in the fifth, before erupting for five runs in the top of the fifth to earn the run-rule victory.

Eight Bald Eagles found the hit column, highlighted by perfect 3-for-3 efforts by Faith Persing (Montgomery, Pa./Montgomery) and Melius. Delaney Good (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) and Schmitt rounded out the Bald Eagles with multiple hits, finishing with two each.

Good, who doubled and scored a game-high three runs, extended her hitting streak to 20 games. Schmitt drove in a game-high three runs.

Brodzina and Riley McClellan (Granville Summit, Pa./Troy) added a pair of RBIs, while Brodzina left the yard for the third time this season.

Six Bald Eagles recorded extra base hits, including a triple by Morgan Karasek (Bangor, Pa./Bangor).

Persing continued her hot streak in the circle as she secured her team-leading 10th victory in the circle, while tossing five innings and allowing three runs. Persing struck out a team-high six hitters.

After a game one victory at West Chester on Sunday, head coach Kelly Shannon set the new program record for head coaching victories as she now sits at 349 in her career.

NEXT UP:

The Bald Eagles return home for the first time in six games to host Millersville at Lawrence Field on Thursday (April 18) for a PSAC East doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.