YORK, Pa. – The Gettysburg College softball team (9-5) dropped a pair of non-conference games at York (Pa.) College (6-3) on Tuesday afternoon. The Spartans held off a late rally for a 5-3 victory in the opening game before closing out the nightcap 9-1.
The teams combined for just one hit through the first two innings of the opening game before Gettysburg struck for the first run in the third inning. That run came courtesy of freshman
Lauren O'Leary (Manasquan, N.J./Jackson Memorial), who belted her second home run of the season over the center field fence.
York tied the game on an RBI triple by Elle Meyer in the bottom of the third and jumped in front with four runs in the fifth inning. The first two runs came across on a single by Natalie Decena, while the final two runs were the result of errors by the Bullets.
The Spartans committed their own fielding miscues to give Gettysburg hope in the top of the seventh. Two errors started the frame and helped set up a double-steal by sophomores
Giovanna Komst (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) and
Julia Smith (Marydel, Md./Queen Anne's Country) for the first run. A sacrifice fly by junior
Olivia Moser (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) made it 5-3 before Meyer got the final groundout for York.
Junior
Jess Campana (Brick, N.J./Saint John Vianney) went 3-for-4, while freshman
Elliana Hopple (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy) went 2-for-3.
York went on the offensive early in the second game, bringing across four runs in its opening at bat. Emma Keller accounted for half of those runs with a two-run double to center field. The Spartans tacked on two more runs in the following inning for a 6-0 lead.
Gettysburg loaded the bases to start the fourth inning, but York escaped the jam with a force-out at home, strikeout, and another force-out at second base. The Bullets brought across their run in the top of the fifth on a single to right-center by Campana.
Two extra-base hits scored the final three runs for York in the fifth inning, including a game-ending two-run triple by Decena.
Moser went 2-for-3, while Campana finished 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI.
Gettysburg visits the University of Mary Washington for a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, March 26, at noon.
