ERIE, Pa. (April 22, 2016) – The Edinboro University softball team opened its final PSAC road doubleheader with a convincing 5-2 victory over Mercyhurst before dropping the nightcap, 8-7, in extra innings. With the split, the Fighting Scots are now 12-20 overall and 6-12 in the PSAC West while the Lakers sit at 13-21 overall and 5-13 in Western play.
 
The Fighting Scots will wrap up their regular season tomorrow afternoon, hosting Slippery Rock, for a PSAC West doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday's twinbill will also be Senior Day as we honor three departing seniors during the contest as Katie Holmes, Kylie Mason, and Haley Struebing will be playing in their final regular season action as Fighting Scots.
 
Game One – Edinboro 5, Mercyhurst 2
The Fighting Scots wasted little time in taking control of the day's opening contest. Edinboro scored four runs on five hits in the top of the first inning to take an early lead over the Lakers. Haley Struebing got the hit parade started with a single through the left side. Olivia Jankowski ripped a double down the left field line to score Struebing before Brooke Callaghan singled to put runners on first and third with one out. RBI singles from Kylie Mason and Theresa Fleckenstein gave Edinboro a 3-0 lead before a groundout RBI from Heather Tighe complete the four-run inning.
 
The Lakers got on the board in the bottom of the second inning, cutting the Edinboro lead to 4-1 on a Shannon Minihane RBI single, but Mercyhurst was held in check for a majority of the opening contest. Freshman pitcher Carley Nasca (6-7) tossed a brilliant complete game, giving up just four hits while striking out four

batters and allowing just one earned run.
 
Mercyhurst drew within two runs in the bottom of the fourth when they scored on a passed ball to make the score 4-2, but Nasca held the Lakers to just one hit the final three innings and the Fighting Scots added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a Callaghan RBI double to give Nasca a three-run cushion.
 
Anna Cochis (5-6) received the loss for the Lakers, tossing seven innings while allowing 11 hits, with a pair of strikeouts and walks.
 
Jankowski finished game one 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI while also drawing a walk.
 
Game Two – Mercyhurst 8, Edinboro 7 (9 Innings)
For just the second time this season, the Fighting Scots needed extra innings to decide a ballgame. Mercyhurst flipped the script in the nightcap, jumping out to a lead on Edinboro in the early going. After leadoff batter Kylie Mason singled to third and eventually came around to score and Taylor Payne singled home a run to give Edinboro a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, the Lakers came back quickly in the home half of the opening inning.
 
After three consecutive singles to begin the bottom of the first, Courtney Brothers hit a two-run single of her own down the right field line and a runner came home on an error to give the Lakers the lead at 3-2. Following a Tawny Godin single, Kayla Larson doubled to right center to increase the lead to 5-2 heading to the top of the second.
 

Following a Haley Struebing leadoff walk to begin the third, Olivia Jankowski and Brooke Callaghan each singled to set up Payne with a bases loaded situation. Payne delivered with a single through the left side to score a runner before Heather Tighe also brought a runner home with a single to cut the Laker lead to 5-4.
 
The Lakers tacked on a run on an error in the bottom of the third to take a two-run lead at 6-4 before building the lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the fourth when Mercyhurst scored on another error.
 
Trailing 7-4 in the sixth inning, the Fighting Scots rallied to tie the game up, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth. With runners on first and third following a leadoff double by Theresa Fleckenstein and pinch hitter Claire Johnston being hit by a pitch, Mason came through in the clutch with a three-run home run to center field to tie the game at 7-7.
 
After one-two-three innings for both sides in the seventh, the game shifted to extra innings where the Lakers took advantage of a Edinboro lapse in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring the winning run on a Fighting Scots error.
 
Payne (0-2) received the loss for Edinboro, pitching three innings while allowing three hits with two strikeouts. Kerri Stevens pitched a strong 5.1 innings in relief of starter Kalet Lenart, giving up just four hits with three strikeouts and no earned runs.
 
Portia McBride (2-3) picked up the win for the Lakers, pitching seven innings while allowing three runs and three hits with 10 strikeouts.
 
Mason finished the nightcap 2-for-5 with a homerun and three RBIs.