EDINBORO, PA – Maya Kozup was a homer short of the cycle as the Scots took game one of the Friday doubleheader against the Golden Eagles of Clarion.
GAME ONE RECAP
Macy Sral struck out the first batter of the game for Clarion, then Mackenzie Quider threw a batter out at first on an infield single. Sral got another Eagle swinging to end the top of the first unscathed.
Lauren Gierlak led off for the Fighting Scots and hit a gap shot to right center for a single. Nya Adams issued a successful sacrifice bunt to move Gierlak to second. Maura Pasquale reached via walk and a pass ball moved Gierlak to third. Pasquale was then caught stealing with the throw allowing Gierlak to score and give Edinboro a 1-0 lead. Cheyenne Shughart walked to keep the inning alive.
Clarion got a run back via big fly in the top of the second to knot the game at one run a piece. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second, then Pasquale ranged to her right and threw to ball to Quider at third for a force out. Sral finished off the inning with a strike out.
Maya Kozup hit a one-out single in the bottom of the second.
Clarion got a runner to third in the top of the third but the Edinboro defense held tough.
Gierlak and Adams reached to start the bottom of the third inning. Then Shughart singled in a run. Teller followed with a squeeze bunt for a run and Edinboro led 3-1.
Kozup doubled to open the bottom of the fourth and Bush followed with a walk and Adams came to the plate with two outs. Adams singled to score Bush and an overthrow allowed Gierlak to score as well. Then Pasquale legged out an infield single scoring Adams.
Shughart hit a solo home run to opposite field in the bottom of the fourth and the Scots assumed an 8-1 advantage.
Kozup stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth and hit a triple to lead-off the inning. Spitler then hit a sacrifice fly to go up eight runs and end the ballgame in five innings.
GAME TWO RECAP
Dylan Claycomb took the circle for game two of Friday's doubleheader and caused two infield grounders in the top of the first that Shughart made nice plays to hold onto at first. She then induced a third grounder to end the inning.
Adams reached in the bottom of the first on a batted ball that went through the legs of the Clarion third baseman. Then Shughart hit her second home run of the day to put the home team up 2-0.
Claycomb cruised through the top of the third, retiring the Clarion batters in order.
Gierlak singled to open the bottom of the third, and stole second. Adams then singled into the outfield and advanced to second on the throw. Pasquale then doubled, scoring Gierlak and Adams, and Edinboro led 4-0.
Clarion got a run back in the top of the fourth as a pass ball brought one in to score.
In the fifth, they struck again with a pinch-hit homer to cut the Edinboro lead to 4-2. Claycomb limited the damage by snagging a hard-hit grounder that took a high hop, and flipped it to first to end the top of the inning.
Bush came on in relief of Claycomb in the sixth and struck out the second batter she faced. With runners on first and third, catcher Morgan Donnell made catch in foul territory approaching the fence. Then a pass ball scored a Clarion runner and Edinboro led 4-3.
Needing three outs in the top of the seventh to make it a final, Clarion walked and bunted a runner to second as Bush threw on to first. The second out came by way of strike out, then Bush fanned the last batter for a 4-3 Edinboro victory.
