Eagles Split with River Hawks, Winning Game One in the Eighth

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata softball team won in extras in the first before dropping the second against Susquehanna, 9-8 and 8-6, Saturday afternoon at West-End Field. 

Alaney Vereshack (Smokerun, Pa. / Glendale) started the bottom of the first off, getting hit by a pitch. Reagan Goldsmith (Middletown, Del. / Middletown) reached on an infield single before Maya McLeod (San Diego, Calif. / La Jolla Country Day School) singled to left-center, scoring Vereshack. Maggie Peck (Philipsburg, Pa. / Philipsburg Osceola) walked and two batters later, Caleigh Love (Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury HS)  singled to right-center to score McLeod and Goldsmith. Love drew a throw while stealing second, so Peck easily took home to push the Eagle lead to four. 

Catherine Miller (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon Area) cruised through the first four innings before getting in some trouble in the fifth as the River Hawks exploded for seven runs, and Cate Baran (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone Area HS) came in and helped get JC out of the inning.  

In the bottom of the sixth, Alison Superka (Orefield, Pa. / Parkland HS) blasted a ball over the wall in left to cut the deficit to two. With one out, Love singled, and Ruthie Betts (Hawk Run, Pa. / West Branch Area Jr./Sr. H.S.) drew a walk. Madison Wrightstone (York Haven, Pa. / Northeastern H.S.) reached on an error by the pitcher and got all the way to second while Love scored. Two batters later, Goldsmith reached on an error, and Betts scored to make it 7-7.  

Both teams scored in the seventh, with Love driving in Superka to tie things at eight, and the game went into extra innings. 

In the top of the eighth, after the first batter singled to left and a stole second, Baran induced a ground out to third, struck out a batter swinging, and got the final out on a flyout to left. Vereshack led off with a single to the left and advanced to second on Goldsmith's groundout to third. Peck reached on an error as Vereshack scored to get JC the win in game one.   

The River Hawks struck first as they put up five runs in the first. Superka hit her second home run of the day to put the Eagles on the board. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Superka put the super in Superka as she walloped a ball over the wall in center field to make it 5-2. Love singled to short, and Wrightstone singled to right. Vereshack singled to left to load the bases with two outs, and Goldsmith drove in Love with a single down the left-field line. McLeod followed with a double to left to tie things at 5-5. 

The tie score was short-lived as Susquehanna scored three in the fifth. 

A McLeod RBI-single to right allowed Goldsmith to score, but Juniata couldn't complete the comeback as the River Hawks took game two. 

Tomorrow's doubleheader at Susquehanna is postponed until Tuesday. The first pitch is at 3:00.