Softball earns pair of wins, outscoring opponents, 22-10 on day

(Myrtle Beach, SC) - The Rochester Christian softball team continued play down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with a third straight day of playing a doubleheader as they would take on Penn State - Beaver as well as Cairn. The Warriors completed their first sweep on the season, downing Penn State - Beaver 9-7, before taking down Cairn 11-3. RCU improves to 5-9 on the season.

GAME 1 - ROCHESTER CHRISTIAN 9, PENN STATE - BEAVER 7
Amber Lamphier (1-2) earned the win in the circle for the Warriors, pitching the first seven innings of the game, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with eight total strikeouts.

RCU got on the board right away at the top of the first inning with Jaya Forti hitting a double, followed by stealing third and Emma Cronkright scoring her with an RBI groundout. The second inning would follow with another RCU run with Amber Lamphier coming around to score with the aid of a Penn State error. Beaver rallied right back, getting out to a 5-2 lead using aggressive baserunning and timely contact to flip the momentum.

A couple of innings later in the fourth, RCU would start to mount their comeback with Amber Lamphier helping out her own cause, singling home Angelina Viviano. The fifth saw three runs plated for the Warriors, regaining momentum and the lead with Emma Hoover hitting a single, Emma Cronkright hitting a sacrifice fly, and Hoover coming around to score on an error. A Warrior insurance run was added in the sixth with Ella Hayes hitting home Makayla Lezotte, making it 7-5.

The Warriors' two-run lead would not last long as they rebounded with a pair of runs right away in the bottom of the sixth inning. The seventh inning saw both sides strand a runner on base.

RCU took advantage of the ghost runner on second base to kick off the eighth inning with Amber Lamphier continuing to aid her own cause with an RBI single before Emma Hoover would later get a hit and score, Chloe Gildea. Beaver would go down consecutively to end the game and give the Warriors their first win of the day.

Emily Leusby (1) got the save with a perfect 1-2-3 eighth inning.

GAME 2 - ROCHESTER CHRISTIAN 11, CAIRN 3

Emily Leusby (2-4) followed up her one inning save in the first game of the day, by pitching a complete game against Cairn. Leusby only allowed two earned runs on five hits, striking out six batters in the shortened game. 

The Warriors kept up the hits and runs on the day, plating four runs in the first, two in the second and third innings, followed by three in the fifth. 

RCU nearly hit for the cycle on consecutive hits in the top of the first with Angelina Viviano hitting a two-RBI single, Makayla Lezotte tripling home a run and Brooklyn Ross doubling home a run, respectively. 

Both teams grabbed a pair of runs in the second inning, as RCU had a pair of groundouts with Chloe Gildea and Jaya Forti coming around to score in the top half of the inning. Cairn pieced together a couple of hits and a passed ball to score their two runs. 

The Warriors would grab runs for the third straight inning with a pair of runs off a Jaya Forti sacrfice fly, as well as a Emma Hoover single. Cairn would also earn a run on a single in the bottom half of the inning. 

A scoreless fourth inning would then see RCu put up a three-spot where they would extend the lead to eight runs, cutting the game short by way of run-rule. Emma Hover doubled home Emily Leusby, while Emma Cronkright would immediately hit another double, scoring Jaya Forti and Emma Hoover to give the Warriors the eight run lead and sweep on the day.

UP NEXT
The Warriors will be back on the diamond after a day off, on Friday, March 13, when they take on Penn State - Hazelton and Penn State - Schuylkill, starting at 9 AM.