INDIANA, Pa. - Senior
Kaitlyn Beers hit two home runs and had a walk-off RBI single as the IUP softball team split an afternoon doubleheader with Cal U Saturday at Podbielski Field. The Crimson Hawks won the opener 6-5 in exciting fashion before falling 14-5 in the nightcap.
Beers finished the day going a combined 5-8 with three runs scored, those two homers, and drive in five runs. She went yard in each game, bringing her total to four on the season, the most in the PSAC West.
Both teams are now 4-2 overall and 4-2 in divisional play.
Standout performances
Sr.
Kaitlyn Beers: 5-8, three runs, two home runs, five RBI; walk-off single in game one
Sr.
Renee Wall: 4-7, two runs, double, three RBI
Soph.
Hope Jones: W (1-0), CG, career-high 12 strikeouts in game one
Game one
The Crimson Hawks opened the scoring in the first with back-to-back RBI base hits by Wall and Beers. Cal U tied the score in the top of the fourth before Beers hit her first homer of the day, going opposite field for a solo shot to give IUP a 3-2 lead.
The lead exchanged hands over the next few innings, with the Vulcans going up 4-3 in the fifth while IUP went back on top 5-4 in the sixth on an RBI single from
Haleigh Zimmerman. Cal U's Paige Wilson had the first big hit of the seventh, as her two-out solo home run tied the game at 5-5.
In the bottom half with Wall on second and one down, Beers knocked one up the middle to bring her teammate around for the game-winning run.
Game two
The Vulcans jumped on top early with two runs in each the second and third innings. Beers blasted another home run over the scoreboard in left center to cut the lead in half at 4-2, but Cal U scored big in the fourth and fifth to take a 12-2 lead.
RBI singles by Wall and
Rachel Rodriguez eliminated the mercy rule before Cal U added insurance runs in the seventh for the statement win.
Up next
IUP looks to win the series Sunday afternoon with a trip to California. This doubleheader was originally scheduled for Friday before field conditions forced its postponement. First pitch Sunday is 2 p..m.
Follow
For coverage of the IUP softball program, follow the Crimson Hawks on Twitter and Instagram @IUPsoftball and online at IUPAthletics.com.
