GREENSBURG, Pa. – The IUP softball team dropped a doubleheader to Seton Hill, falling 14-6 in game one and 11-6 in a back and forth second game on Saturday afternoon.
The games, originally scheduled in Indiana, were played at the SHU Softball Complex. IUP slips to 18-11 and 4-5 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play, while Seton Hill improves to 20-8 and 8-2 in the league. SHU heads into action tomorrow atop the PSAC West standings.
The Hawks and Griffins will finish out the regular season at Podbielski Field on April 27.
Game One: Seton Hill 14, IUP 6 (6 Innings)
Seton Hill put the game out of reach early with a 10-run explosion in the second inning, handing the Crimson Hawks a 14-6 defeat. The Crimson Hawks extended the game with a
Delaney Patella home run in the fifth, her second of the game.
Patella was outstanding at the plate with her two home runs and five RBI, adding a walk. Seton Hill pushed across 12 runs over the initial two innings and finished out the run-rule victory with two more runs in the sixth inning.
The Griffins belted three home runs from three different players. Grace Peredes and Lauren Dellett posted four RBI each, while Dellett fired nine strikeouts in the circle.
Maddie Griffin got IUP on the board in the third, scoring
Madison Pikula with a single.
Patella rounded out the IUP offense with homers from Patella in the third and fifth innings. Her third inning homer was a three-run blast, plating
Jaycee Haidze and Griffin. Griffin also scored on Patella's homer in the fifth.
Olivia Hillegas chewed up 4.2 innings of relief, allowing four runs (three earned) with six strikeouts.
Game Two: Seton Hill 11, IUP 6
Seton Hill had two big innings, pushing across four runs in the fourth inning and five more in the fifth. The Griffins led 6-2 before
Tess Smiley brought the Hawks back within two runs (6-4) with a two RBI triple in the fifth.
Smiley and
Paige Truax registered a pair of hits, while Patella added three more walks in the second game.
Haidze smacked a two-run homer in the first inning for the Crimson Hawks, handing the visitors an early 2-0 lead. The Griffins responded with single runs in the first and second innings before the big fourth inning.
IUP continued grinding out at-bats into the fifth inning, a theme throughout the day.
Kelly Szolek was down 0-2 in the count, fouling off several pitches before working a walk to load the bases with two outs.
Madeline Miller leveled the game at six with a run-scoring single in the fifth, all coming with two outs.
Brooke Cleland broke the tie with a solo home run in the fifth, her second of the day. Her ball over the center field wall pushed the Griffins back in front at 7-6. Nina Grandey kept the momentum going for SHU with a two-RBI double and a 9-6 advantage.
Dellett entered to collect the final six outs of the contest in the circle.
Up Next
IUP takes on Clarion in a rescheduled doubleheader on Sunday, April 7. First pitch from DuBois is set for 1:00 p.m.
Follow
For coverage of the IUP softball program, follow the Crimson Hawks on X (Twitter) and Instagram @IUPsoftball and online at IUPathletics.com.
