DALLAS, Pa. – Taylor Gessner (Lewisburg, Pa./Meadowbrook Christian) capped her freshman season by ending with a 10-game hitting streak, but the Lycoming College softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games to Misericordia University, 5-4, and 13-4, on Sunday afternoon, April 29, at Anderson Field to wrap up the 2018 season.
 
The Warriors (12-26 overall) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning in the opener when sophomore Darci Warriner (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro Area) led off with a single to center field. She was bunted over to second and on the next pitch, junior Rachel Duda (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) laced an RBI single up the middle to score Warriner. One pitch later, senior Samantha Fischer (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) doubled to deep left center, scoring Duda and giving Lycoming the 2-0 lead.
 
Misericordia (22-16 overall), the third seed in the MAC Freedom Championship, came back with five runs over the next two innings, four of which came in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Three of those five Cougar runs came via solo home runs.
 
Junior Liz Nace (Pennridge, Pa./Perkasie) came on in relief in the fifth and gave Lycoming a chance to get back into the game. Nace threw 1 2/3 innings of no-hit relief and allowed just one baserunner to reach.  After two quick outs and with Fischer on first, freshman Taylor Gessner (Lewisburg, Pa./Meadowbrook Christian) and sophomore Madison Brown (McElhattan, Pa./Central Mountain) loaded the bases with two more walks. Senior Ashley Schoenstadt (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) faced an 0-2 count, but blooped a single to center field, scoring both Fischer and Gessner to cut the deficit to one. A groundout ended the inning and after Warriner led off with a single in the seventh, the Warriors were retired in order.
 
Warriner went 3-for-3 in the opener to lead an offense that had six different players with a hit. Fischer went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI, Schoenstadt picked up two RBIs, Duda went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI and Gessner extended her hitting streak to nine games with a 1-for-3 output. 
 
Amanda Butera and Kiersten Pflueger each picked up two hits and Buerta, Ciera DeLong and Lori Brennan each belted solo home runs to lead the Cougars.
 
Victoria Schmidt pitched the first 3 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs and Ashlee Brosky earned the win in relief, throwing 3 2/3 innings of three-hit ball.
 
The Warriors again took an early lead in the second game, scoring a run in the first as Brown singled to left center and was moved to second base by Gessner. Shady's RBI double to deep center field gave Lycoming the lead. The offense put up two more runs in the second. Junior Lexie Kovin (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) led off with a single, was moved to second by Fischer and sophomore Lydia Yorks (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) walked. After a pop up, Gessner and Shady followed with back-to-back RBI singles for the 3-0 lead.
 
The Cougars, though, came back with three runs to tie the game and a grand slam home run by DeLong broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Schoenstadt answered with an RBI single in the fourth, but Misericordia countered with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the bottom of the sixth.
 
In her final game, Shady went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. The senior finished her career tied with Schoenstadt with 123 career hits, third most in program history. Shady's 21 doubles rank fifth in program history and in the circle, her 487.2 innings pitched (first), 254 strikeouts (fourth) and 31 wins (fifth) all rank in the top-5 in program history.
 
Schoenstadt, meanwhile, is the program's career stole base leader (33) and the speedy centerfielder ranks in the top-10 in program history with 51 walks drawn (third), nine triples (third) and 59 RBIs (seventh).
 
Fischer also picked up a hit in her final game as a Warrior and is one of the most sure-fielding first baseman in program history with a .992 fielding percentage that ranks second in program history.
 
Gessner ended a strong freshman season on a season-long 10-game hitting streak, as she went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kovin also went 2-for-3 with a run.
 
Shady pitched the first 4 2/3 innings, before Nace got the other two outs.
 
Brooke Moyle earned the win for the Cougars, striking out four in six innings of work.
 
DeLong led the Cougars with a 3-for-4, two run and five RBI effort. Butera also went 3-for-4 and added three RBIs and Moyle went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.