WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior Chelsey Poorman (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) led the Lycoming College softball team with three hits and three RBI and sophomore Ashley Schoenstadt (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) notched four hits to help the team earn a doubleheader split against non-conference foe Wilkes University on Tuesday, March 29, at Shangraw Athletic Complex, as Lycoming won the first game, 6-2, but fell in the second, 3-2.
 
Sophomore Rachael Shady (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) (5-3) provided a strong pitching performance in the first game, as she pitched a complete game while surrendering just five hits and one earned run to go along with three walks and seven strikeouts.
 
The Warriors (10-9 overall) got on the board first when Poorman singled to center after junior Kelcie Crabb (Millmont, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) doubled to left with one out. In the next inning, Shady reached on an error and junior Morgan Kunes (Beech Creek, Pa./Central Mountain) knocked her 10^th double of the year to set the Warriors up with runners on second and third with one out. Two batters after senior Kristi Weaver (Milton, Pa./Milton Area) singled to drive in Shady, senior Dominique Thomas (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) singled up the middle to score Kunes to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. Then, following a walk to Crabb to load the bases, Poorman delivered again with a two-RBI single to left to give the Warriors a 5-0 advantage.  
 
After Haley Welker homered in the top of the fourth, the Warriors got the run back in the sixth when Schoenstadt led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. After Schoenstadt moved up to third on a groundout, Shady hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Schoenstadt.
 
The Colonels (6-10 overall) scored one unearned run in the top of the seventh on a throwing error to yield the final margin.
 
The Warriors scratched out eight hits in the first game, led by Schoenstadt (2-for-4) and Poorman (2-for-3), and had a well-balanced offense as six different players scored a run and four different players drove in a run.
 
Christina Gambino (1-4) took the loss for the Colonels in the first game, finishing with six innings pitched, eight hits, six runs (two earned), three walks, and two strikeouts.
 
In the second game, Nicole Cumbo (3-3) provided a strong pitching performance, as she pitched 5.1 innings and surrendered eight hits but allowed just one run to go with three walks and three strikeouts before Bethany Shaud came on in relief for the final 1.2 innings. Shaud gave up one hit, one run, one walk, and one strikeout and earned the save for the Colonels.
 
The Colonels got on the board first when Welker, with one out in the second, launched her second home run of the day to center field to give her team the 1-0 lead. In the third, Schoenstadt led off with a single and then was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior Elisa Novak (Ambler, Pa./Germantown Academy). On the same play, Schoenstadt was able to make it to third after she noticed that nobody was covering with the third baseman charging on the bunt. The next batter was Shady who ripped a single into left to score Schoenstadt to tie the game.
 
The Colonels responded in the fourth when Cumbo knocked in two with a single to take a 3-1 lead. The Warriors fought back, though, as Kunes drew a walk in the seventh and came around to score on a double by Thomas. Next up was Crabb, who hit a hard line drive down the third base line but, unfortunately for the Warriors, that's exactly where Caitlin Brown was positioned as Brown snagged the screamer for the final out of the game.
 
The Warriors notched nine hits in the second game and drew four walks, but left 11 runners on base.
 
Weaver (4-5) took the loss for the Warriors in the second game, as she tossed four innings and gave up eight hits and three runs to go along with two walks and two strikeouts. Shady came on in relief in the fifth inning with no outs and pitched out of a jam. She finished the second game with three innings, one hit, no runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Shady finished the day by tossing 10 innings, six hits, two runs (one earned), four walks, and nine strikeouts.
 
Kunes extended her hitting streak to 10 games, tied for seventh-longest in school history with a hit in the second game, as she had one hit in each game to keep her batting average at .491 (26-of-53).
  
The Colonels were led by Welker, who finished with two home runs and four runs scored. Brown contributed three hits while Sarah Birchmeier and Lacey Bixler notched two hits.
 
The Warriors get back on the field on Saturday, April 2, when they host Arcadia for a MAC Commonwealth doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Shangraw Athletic Complex.?