Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

INDIANA, PA – Tara Waldo (Pittsburgh/Baldwin)'s walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two capped an 11-10 come-from-behind win for the IUP softball team over West Chester Saturday. Waldo was equally as impressive in game one, smacking a two-run double to seal an 8-0, five-inning win for the Crimson Hawks.

IUP looked sharp right out of the gates in game one, posting four runs in the first inning thanks to a two-run double from Ashley Strack (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) and a pair of runs batted in by Waldo and Jasa Mitchell (Snow Shoe/Bald Eagle Area).

The Crimson Hawks would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning when Marissa Leslie (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) doubled to plate pinch-runner Katie Iyoob (Jessup/Valley View). The next batter was Monica Iachini (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel), who knocked in Leslie with a single to center field.

After a scoreless fifth for the Golden Rams, Megan McCormick (Evans City/Seneca Valley) was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half of the inning for IUP.  After Mitchell singled to put two on with no one out, Waldo stepped up and delivered the double to give the Crimson Hawks the 8-0 win.

Not to be overlooked in the excellent performance by IUP was a phenomenal outing in the circle from Kelly King (Nazareth/Bethlehem Catholic), who allowed just three hits and struck out four in the five-inning shutout.

Game two was a much different story early on, with West Chester posting five runs in just the first two innings. The Crimson Hawks would cut into the lead in the bottom of the second when Meghan Carney (Corry/Corry) singled to plate Waldo and Strack, but West Chester would have an answer.

The Golden Rams added a pair of runs in the third to take a 7-2 lead, but Strack would deliver an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to trim the deficit to just four.

After Jessica Norris homered in the fourth and Kim Begley followed with a home run in the fifth to give West Chester a 9-3 lead, the Crimson Hawks looked to put together a rally in the sixth. Iachini singled to knock in Carney, and McCormick would follow with a single that scored two more runs.

With two runners on and the deficit at three, Waldo stepped to the plate and belted one over the center field wall to knot the game at 9-9 and rip the momentum away from the Golden Rams. After a scoreless seventh inning for both teams, IUP looked to win in it extra innings.

West Chester would not go down without a fight, however, taking a 10-9 lead in the top of the eighth when Nichole Cruts singled to score Norris.

With their backs against the wall once again, the Crimson Hawks staged another clutch inning in the bottom of the eighth. After Leslie, Iachini and McCormick all reached to load the bases with no outs, Mitchell tied the game at 10-10 on a fielder's choice.

Needing a big hit to pull off the comeback, it was Waldo who delivered like she had all afternoon with a blooper that dropped in shallow left field to score Iachini. Waldo tallied four hits and seven RBI on the day, while Leslie went 5-of-8 on the day.

King notched the win in game two after pitching the final two innings, while Stef McCoy started the game and recorded two strikeouts in six innings of work.

With the win, the Crimson Hawks improve to 14-8-1 on the season heading into tomorrow's double-header with Mansfield at Podbielski Field. First pitch in game one is set for 1:00 p.m.