INDIANA, Pa. – The Crimson Hawks had excellent pitching performances from
Lauren Zola (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle) and
Brooke Darling (Springville, Pa./Elk Lake), each firing complete games as IUP swept Clarion by scores of 7-1 and 9-0 on Friday afternoon at Podbielski Field.
The true freshman Zola struck out a season-high 12 batters in seven innings, scattering three hits and giving up one earned run in the opener. She's been on a hot streak, striking out 46 batters while allowing just five earned runs in 34.1 innings of work over her last five starts.
Darling followed that with a gem of her own, allowing just one hit over five innings in the mercy rule win, striking out seven in the shutout. She's allowed just nine earned over her last eight games, striking out 49 in 47.0 innings.
The wins improved the Crimson Hawks to 21-15 overall and 8-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Division, one game back of Lock Haven (9-5) for second place. Clarion falls to 3-26 overall and 1-13 in the division.
Freshman
Lauren Goetz (Cleveland, Ohio/Cuyahoga Heights) was the offensive star of the day, smashing two home runs, including a two-run, walk-off winner in game two. Her first homer came in the opener, hooking one inside the foul pole in left field. She finished with three runs batted in on the day.
Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) and
Amanda Parrish (Dysart, Pa./Altoona) also each drove in three runs, while
Bryanna Lonick (Burgettstown, Pa./Burgettstown) and
Megan Gould (New Germany, Pa./Forest Hills) both had three hits. Lonick did all of her damage in game two, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.
Those two doubles were among the six total for the Crimson Hawks. Gould had one of those while also hitting a triple and driving in a pair.
The Crimson Hawks have an important doubleheader ahead of them as they head to division-leading Bloomsburg (33-4, 14-0) on Saturday.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP softball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_Softball.
