CLERMONT, Fla. – The Crimson Hawks received solid pitching performances as they earned one run victories over Nyack (3-2) and West Liberty (4-3) on Wednesday morning.
Four pitchers took part in the wins as IUP improved to 7-3 on its spring break trip.
Lauren Zola (Pittsburgh, PA/Seton-La Salle) got the win in relief in the opener while
Amanda Spindler (Brownsburg, IN/Cathedral) picked up the win against West Liberty after a solid start into the fifth.
Back-to-back singles by
Megan Gould (New Germany/Forest Hills) and
Hannah Mercer (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg Area) in the first inning against Nyack eventually led to two straight walks by
Allison Viguers (West Chester/West Chester East) and
Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) as IUP opened the scoring. Nyack took a 2-1 lead with the help of a couple of blooping base hits.
The Crimson Hawks tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth, as Viguers knocked Gould home after the speedster tripled. They took the lead in the bottom of the seventh, with Viguers starting things with a one-out double. Fairman singled to put runners at the corners and
Rachel Francis (Jefferson, OH/Jefferson) drew a walk to load the bases.
Lauren Goetz (Cleveland, Oh/Cuyahoga Heights) came through with the walk-off single, driving it past a drawn in infield to bring home Viguers.
Megan Risinger (Creekside, PA/Marion Center) started, going 5.2 innings before giving way to Zola. Risinger gave up seven hits and two earned runs while striking out six. Zola tossed the final four outs, striking out three.
Against West Liberty, the Crimson Hawks scored a pair of runs in the second on singles from
Amanda Parrish (Dysart/Altoona) and
Taylor Mercurio (Pittsburgh/Seton-La Salle). In the third, Mercer led off the inning with a triple and scored on a single by Viguers. She moved to third with a Fairman double, and then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Parrish.
Spindler went 4.2 innings, scattering five hits while giving up three earned runs.
Brooke Darling (Springville, PA/Elk Lake) entered in the fifth, giving up a two-run base hit before retiring the final seven batters to earn the save.
Mercer finished game two a home run shy of the cycle, going 3-for-3. Viguers had three hits on the day with a double and two RBI. Fairman also had three hits and walked twice.
The Crimson Hawks finish up their Florida trip with games again Minnesota Duluth and Saginaw Valley on Thursday. They'll head to the West Virginia Wesleyan tournament in Salem, Va. for four games on Saturday and Sunday.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP softball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_Softball.
