Game 1: Pitt-Greensburg 9, Alfred State 1
Pitt-Greensburg opened the doubleheader in dominant fashion, using a five-run first inning to cruise past Alfred State, 9-1, on Saturday morning at home.
After two quick outs in the top of the first, Alfred State put a runner on second, but Autumn Powell escaped the early threat. The Bobcats responded immediately in the bottom half, igniting an offensive surge that set the tone for the game. Shelby Cloak was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a two-run home run by Hunter Taylor to give Pitt-Greensburg a 2-0 lead.
The offense continued to roll as Kenzie Lang reached and Falynn Reinard followed with a single to put runners in scoring position. Sadie Kelly delivered an RBI single, and Powell added an RBI knock of her own. A pair of wild pitches later in the inning brought home another run, capping a five-run outburst and giving the Bobcats full control.
Lang added to the lead in the second inning with a solo home run to left, extending the advantage to 6-0. Powell was sharp in the circle throughout, striking out six and limiting Alfred State to just four hits while working all five innings.
Pitt-Greensburg tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Taylor sparked the rally with a double, and Lang followed with an RBI single. Reinard and Kelly kept the line moving with base hits, and the Bobcats again capitalized on Alfred State miscues, scoring twice on a wild pitch and a passed ball to stretch the lead to 9-0.
Alfred State broke through in the fifth with the help of an error and an RBI double, but Powell quickly closed the door to secure the run-rule victory.
Taylor and Lang each homered and drove in two runs to lead the offense, while Kelly added three hits. Reinard also contributed a multi-hit performance as Pitt-Greensburg totaled 12 hits in the win.
Game 2: Alfred State 9, Pitt-Greensburg 8
The nightcap turned into a back-and-forth battle, but Pitt-Greensburg came up just short in a 9-8 loss to Alfred State.
Alfred State struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on a two-out opportunity and an outfield error to plate two runs. The Bobcats answered in the bottom half, as Shelby Cloak reached and later scored on a miscue to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The visitors broke things open in the second inning, stringing together hits and taking advantage of defensive errors to score four runs and build a 6-1 lead.
Pitt-Greensburg began to chip away in the third. Cloak drew a walk ahead of a two-run home run by Hunter Taylor, trimming the deficit to 6-3. Later in the inning, a caught stealing play allowed a run to score, making it 6-4 and shifting momentum back toward the Bobcats.
After Alfred State added two runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-4, Pitt-Greensburg mounted its biggest rally of the day in the sixth inning. With two outs, Mia Dalessandro singled to spark the offense, and Jadyn Davis followed with an RBI double. Cloak delivered a clutch two-run single, and Taylor added an RBI single to tie the game at 8-8 in a four-run frame.
With momentum on their side, the Bobcats looked poised to complete the comeback, but Alfred State responded in the seventh. A leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt set the table before an error allowed the go-ahead run to score, putting the visitors back in front, 9-8.
Pitt-Greensburg threatened in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the rally and sealed the narrow loss.
Taylor led the Bobcats offensively with a home run and three RBI, while Cloak scored three times and drove in two. Davis added a key extra-base hit and RBI during the sixth-inning rally.
