CALIFORNIA, Pa.  – The Edinboro University softball team dropped a pair of hotly contested PSAC West contests against second place California(Pa.) on Wednesday afternoon with the nightcap needing extra innings to decide a winner. With the pair of losses, the Fighting Scots are now 13-20 overall and 4-12 in the PSAC. The Vulcans meanwhile recorded a season-sweep to improve to 19-13 and 10-6, respectively. Wednesday's doubleheader was a makeup of a doubleheader originally scheduled for this past Saturday, April 22 before heavy rainfall forced a schedule adjustment.
 
The Fighting Scots wrap up the regular season this upcoming weekend with a pair of conference doubleheaders. On Friday, April 28, Edinboro travels to Slippery Rock for a 2:30 start time. The two teams split the first doubleheader of the season. On Saturday, April 29, the Fighting Scots celebrate senior day hosting local Western Division rival Mercyhurst with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. The Fighting Scots swept the Lakers earlier this month.
 
Game One – California(Pa.) 2, Edinboro 1
The twinbill's opening contest was a low scoring affair as solid defense and pitching were on display.
 
Both teams were hitless in the first inning before the Vulcans took advantage of Edinboro's lone error in the contest in the bottom of the second. Jacquelyn Fowler reached safely on a fielding error and two batters later Kaity Finley singled up the middle to open the scoring and give California a 1-0 lead.
 
The Fighting Scots notched just one hit through the first four innings before breaking through in the top of the fifth. Olivia Jankowski led off the inning with a single setting up a Claire Johnston RBI double to center to knot the game up at 1-1. It was Johnston's fifth RBI in the past four games. Emily Osterberg pinch ran for Johnston and advanced to third on a Heather Tighe single to put runners on the corner. Tighe stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs, but unfortunately both were left stranded as the Vulcans recorded three straight outs to neutralize the threat.
 
The Vulcans regained the lead in the top of the sixth on an Emily Price solo shot to right field. Edinboro once again got runners on second and third in the top of the sixth following a single from Danna Heh and Brooke Callaghan being hit by a pitch after a nine-pitch at bat. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch but would go no further as Kaity Davis came in to pitch and relief and shut the door the final two innings.
 
Kalet Lenart (5-6) took the loss for Edinboro, giving up just two runs (one earned) on seven hits and striking out a pair.
Portia McBride (7-3) earned the win, pitching 5.1 innings and giving up one run on five hits. McBride also fanned nine batters. Davis recorded her first save of the year, pitching 1.2 innings and giving up one hit with two strikeouts.
 
Heh finished the opening contest 2-for-3. Johnston was 1-for-3 with the lone RBI. Jankoski and Tighe both finished the game 1-for-3.
 
Game Two – California(Pa.) 8, Edinboro 6 (8 Inn.)
Pitching was an afterthought in the nightcap as the Fighting Scots wasted little time jumping out to a big lead early on.
 
Heh led off the contest with a single before advancing to third on a pair of wild pitches. Theresa Fleckenstein brought Heh in with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give the Fighting Scot a quick 1-0 lead.
 
The lead blossomed to five runs in the top of the second inning. Courtney Allen drew a walk and Heh singled to center before both runners advanced on a fielding error by the first baseman to put runners on second and third. Fleckenstein drew a walk to load the bases and Callaghan delivered the big hit, a two-run single to left to give Edinboro a 3-0 lead. Jankowski singled to load the bases once again and the Fighting Scots were able to get two across on a fielding error in the next at bat to take a 5-0 lead.
 
The Fighting Scots added another run in the top of the fourth as Victoria Allocco jacked a leadoff homer over the fence in left to give Edinboro a 6-0 lead.
 
California finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a Finley RBI single to make it 6-1. The Vulcans added two more runs in the next inning on RBI's from Taylor Robblee and Carly Konopka to cut the deficit to 6-3.
 
The Fighting Scots lead held strong at 6-3 until the bottom of the seventh. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Hailey Wilson, Robblee and Fowler loaded the bases with the winning run at the plate. Finley reached safely on a fielder's choice as Wilson came in to score and Robblee was forced out at third. Finley and Fowler advanced to second and third, respectively, on an illegal pitch to set up a Logan Blake RBI single. Finley knotted the game up 6-6, taking home on a throwing error to send the game to extra innings.
 
The Vulcans got a big hit from Wilson in the bottom of the eighth as she hit a walk-off two-run homer to left to close the ballgame. 
 
Lenart (5-7) took the loss in relief of starter Samantha Weaver. Lenart allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and struck out a pair in 2.1 innings work. Weaver gave up three runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings. Kerri Stevens also made an appearance in relief.
 
Carly Konopka (1-1) picked up her first win of the season, pitching 5.0 innings and giving up just three hits with six strikeouts.
 
Heh finished the nightcap 4-for-5, her fifth straight multi-hit game. Jankowski went 3-for-4 at the plate. Allocco brought the power with the solo homer, finishing 1-for-3. Callaghan hit in a team-high two runs as she went 1-for-4.