WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The No. 5 seed Lycoming College softball team fell to No. 4 seed King's College, 8-0 in game one and 12-3 in game two, as King's won the best-of-3 MAC Freedom Championship quarterfinal on Saturday, May 1, at Betzler Field.
 
Sophomore Morgan Wetzel (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) extended her hitting streak to 16 games in the first game with two singles before it was ended in the second, officially making it the fifth-longest hitting streak in program history. Wetzel's .424 batting average is ninth in program history and .692 slugging percentage was fifth.
 
The Warriors finished the season 10-16 under eighth-year head coach Melissa Montoro. King's (20-10 overall) moves on to the MAC Freedom Championship semifinals scheduled for May 8-9, as they will face No. 1-seed Misericordia.
 
In the first game, King's was able to leave five Lycoming runners on base en route to an 8-0 five-inning win.
 
King's scored four unearned runs in the second, combining two errors with three singles. It scored two more each in the third and fifth to secure the win.
 
The Warriors left the bases loaded in the third inning, as Kris Kocher struck out three straight to end the threat.
 
Sophomore Morgan Wetzel (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) went 2-for-2 to lead the Warriors.
 
Kiersten Krouse went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI and Mindina Lieback went 4-for-4 with four RBI and a double to lead the Monarchs.
 
Kocher (7-3) tossed the shutout four-hitter, striking out 11 in five innings. Freshman Kylie Russell (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) (2-2) took the loss, allowing 13 hits and striking out five in 4 2/3 innings.
 
A quick start with eight runs in the first two innings helped King's win the second game, 12-3, in five innings.
 
Down 8-0, the Warriors scored a pair of runs in the third inning. Sophomore Kaleigh Kinley (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) led the inning off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and took third on a single by Russell. On the next pitch, Russell stole second and King's attempted to throw to third, but an error moved each runner up an extra base. Wetzel followed with a sac fly to score Russell.
 
In the fourth, the Warriors scratched another run across when junior Kacee Reitz (Milton, Pa./Milton Area) walked and then advanced two bases on wild pitches and scored on a throwing error. King's, however, scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to enforce the run rule at the end of the fifth.
 
King's opened the second game of the series with two runs before getting six in the second frame off six hits.
 
Russell finished 2-for-2 with a run and a stolen base to lead the Warriors and junior Morgan Klosko (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) went 2-for-3, as Lycoming had six hits.
 
Krouse went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI for the Monarchs and Lieback went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
 
Kocher earned the win, allowing four hits and striking out three in three innings. Sophomore Payton Whary (Coal Township, Pa./Shamokin Area) (4-5) took the loss, allowing nine hits and eight runs in 1 1/3 innings.