Eagles Split With Lions

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Maddie Garrick (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) picked up her first career win and the Eagles hit two homeruns as they defeated Penn State-Altoona 9-2 in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at West End Field. Garrick was making her first career start for Juniata.

The Lions came into today on a 12-game winning streak. Their last loss ironically was the second game of a doubleheader with JC back on March 17.

Juniata got its offense going in the bottom of the second inning. Jennifer Carthew (New Paris, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) led off with a single. Alicia Regnault (Bridgwater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) walked and Lindsey Kosicki (Patton, Pa./Cambria Heights) reached on fielder's choice while Carthew was tagged out at third. A walk to Natalya Sizdahkhani (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard) loaded the bases. Brooke Walls (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) then struck out. Paige Dennison (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) smacked a double to left field to bring in two runs and the Eagles went up 2-0. Abby Ebright (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) followed with a shot over the left field fence to score three runs and JC got out with a 5-0 lead.

The Lions picked up a run in the third inning but the Eagles got it back as a Kosicki groundout scored Carthew. PSU-Altoona scored once in the fourth and Juniata got a two-run homerun from Ammerman to increase its lead to 8-2.

Garrick went the distance for the Eagles in the circle. She gave seven hits, two runs (one earned), and struck out three batters.

Juniata's 1-3 hitters went a combined 7-for-10 with three runs scored and seven runs batted in. Dennison finished 2-for4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Ebright was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Ammerman was 2-for-2 with a run scored and two runs batted in. She also stole one base.

The Eagles knocked Lions starting pitcher Kate Burge out after the second inning in her shortest outing of the season.  She surrendered five runs on six hits while walking two and striking out one.

In Game 2, Dennison led off with a double to right field in the first single. An Ebright single moved Dennison to third and she scored on a wild pitch to give JC a 1-0 lead.

The Lions scored once in the second inning to tie the game at 1-1. Juniata grabbed the lead back as Dennison's two RBI single put the Eagles up 3-1 after two innings.

JC saw its lead disappear in the fourth as Altoona put up three runs to go up 4-3. The Lions added a run in the top of the seventh on a Clarissa Keller homerun.

The Eagles would have chance to mount a rally. Kosicki led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. Sizdahkani lined into a double play and suddenly Juniata was down to its last out. Walls drew a walk. Dennison came up big with a scorching double to left field to score Walls and the Eagles closed to 5-4. Ebright came up to the plate but the first pitch she saw popped out to short and the inning was over.

Chrisi Lerchen (Annville, Pa./Annville-Cleona) went three innings and gave up one earned run on five hits. She walked one and struck out one batter. Sarah Sotelo (Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic) pitched four innings with six hits given up, and four runs surrendered (two earned).

Dennison was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a run scored, and a run batted in. Walls scored two runs for the Eagles and also stole her first base of the season.

Juniata hosts current #19 Moravian in a Landmark doubleheader this Saturday. First pitch will be at 1:00 pm with the second game slated to begin around 3:00 p.m.