Edinboro, Pa- The Fighting Scots softball team kicked off their 2021- campaign in a big way with two road victories over PSAC rival Pitt-Johnstown. Edinboro collected 28 hits and combined to score 20 runs en route to two early season victories.

Game 1 - Edinboro 9, UPJ 2

After a slow start to game number one, Edinboro woke up the bats in innings three through six to score a toal of nine runs on ten hits. Nya Adams started the rally in the top of the third after she reached on an error. Adams then stole second and got herself into scoring position for lead-off Lauren Gierlak. She blasted her first collegiate home-run to open scoring for the Fighting Scots and make it a 2-0 ball game. Maura Pasquale came to the dish next and reached third on a triple. Jolene Teller knocked in Pasquale on a fielder's choice to give the Fighting Scots at 3-0 lead. The three runs would be all the team needed, but they added plenty of insurance runs over the next three half-innings. 

They again would put up three runs in the top half of the fourth inning thanks in large part to great base running and two key hits by way of Lauren Bush and Maura Pasquale who each recorded multiple hits in their first collegiate game. With one away, Bush blasted a home run to left field to make it a four run lead for Edinboro. The Fighting Scots then started a two out rally with singles from Adams and Gierlak to bring up Pasquale. Both Adams and Gierlak were able to move up ninety feet and Pasquale brought them home by way of a double into the left-center field gap.

Hot hitting continued in the fifth inning for the Fighting Scots as Maya Kozup singled and Morgan Spitler doubled to put two in scoring position with just one away. Kozup was able to score on an error with Spitler scoring on an RBI ground out by Stephanie Krick.

After UPJ scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, the Fighting Scots added one final run as Pasquale homered to center field to give the Fighting Scots a 9-2 victory. In the circle, Macy Sral picked up her first collegiate victory and her first of two wins on the day. She pitched four innings, giving up just two runs and striking out two. Dylan Claycomb entered in relief for Sral and picked up her first collegiate save. Claycomb pitched three innings and gave up no hits and just one walk.

Game 2- Edinboro 11, UPJ 7 

While the Fighting Scots crusied to a win in game number one, the second game was a much different story. Edinboro came from behind and tied the game in the top of the seventh to send it to extra innings. The Fighting Scots would come out on top after exploding for five runs in the top of the ninth inning in route to an 11-7 victory. The Fighting Scots swung hot bats all afternoon long and in the back half of the double header, the team collected 18 total hits.

The score was knotted up at 3-3 after two innings of play with two runs coming in the first for Edinboro followed by another in the second. Gierlak walked to begin the game and then proceeded to steal second and advance to third later on a wild pitch. After a Pasquale walk, Jolene Teller scored Gierlak on a sacrifice bunt with Pasquale managing to reach third on the play. Pasquale was later knocked in by the RBI groundout from Mackenzie Quider to give Edinboro a 2-0 lead after the first half inning. UPJ would add a run in the bottom half of the inning, bringing the score to 2-1

In inning number two, Edinboro knocked in one more run as Bush would single and eventually score later in the inning on the RBI single from first-year Morgan Donnell. Later in the inning, UPJ would add two runs of their own to tie the score up at 3-3 heading into the top of the third.

After UPJ added another run in the bottom of the third, Edinboro responded with a run of their own in the fourth as Anna McGinnis blasted a solo shot down the left field line. UPJ would continue some great hitting as they managed to score two in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 6-4 ball game.

The bats were quiet for both Edinboro and UPJ in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Fighting Scots would not go down without a fight. They managed to score two runs in the top of the seventh and blank the Mountain Cats in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Lauren Gierlak started the seventh inning rally as the fifth-year player and grad student singled to left field with just one away. Pasquale continued the rally with a single of her own. After a wild pitch, each of them would move up sixty feet to put two runners in scoring position with just one away. After a sacrifice fly from Teller to score Gierlak and advance Pasquale to third, it was up to Mackenzie Quidder to bring in the equalizing run. She delivered with the pressure on with a single to right-center field, and the Fighting Scots had completed to comeback. UPJ stranded two on base and the winning run just sixty feet away. Macy Sral entered in relief in the seventh and was able to work out of the jam.

After a scoreless eighth from both sides, the Fighting Scots collected five runs on seven hits in the top of the ninth to give themselves an 11-6 lead entering the bottom of the ninth. Nya Adams entered the game as a pinch hitter and singled to start off the inning. After a ground out from Edinboro, Pasquale singled and it meant two on for Edinboro with one away. Teller singled and advanced to second base on the throw while Adams came around to give Edinboro the lead at 7-6. Quider then knocked in two on a two RBI single as Pasquale and Teller would both score to extend the lead to 9-6. Kendra Keyser would pinch run for Quider with Cheyenne Shugart coming to the plate next. Shugart blasted a two-run shot to left center to give Edinboro an 11-6 lead.

UPJ would eventually come to the plate and score one to make it an 11-7 game in the ninth, but Macy Sral closed to the door on the Mountain Cats to pick up her second win of the day.

The two victories by Edinboro now make it five straight wins over UPJ and advances the all-time series lead to 7-2 in favor of Edinboro. The Fighting Scots are scheduled to play Pitt-Johnstown two more times this season at Edinboro with game times and dates to be announced.