PENN ST. ALTOONA SOFTBALL EARNS FIRST-EVER ECAC TITLE

Penn State Altoona softball earned an Eastern College Athletic Conference title for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon when it defeated Bethany College 8-0 in the ECAC Division III South Region Championship at Bison Field.

During the tournament, the No. 5 Lady Lions (29-13) posted wins over No. 4 Stevenson University, No. 1 Bethany College, No. 2 Misericordia University, and then Bethany again to clinch the ECAC title.

Senior Raychel DeArmitt was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. On Sunday, she pitched a complete game shutout, going seven innings and allowing only four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters. DeArmitt also became the Lady Lions’ all-time strikeout leader during today’s game, passing former player Dana Garman (2003-2005) to move into first place. She finished today with 349 career punchouts.

Senior Kelly Chambers hit a go-ahead grand slam and finished the game with five runs batted in. Chambers’ homer set a new AMCC single season record for home runs with 16 this year.

Junior Clarissa Keller, and freshmen Dani Leibowitz, Shannon Moore, and Ashley Struble finished the game with two hits apiece.

After four scoreless innings to open the game, Chambers’ grand slam to left-center in the top of the fifth put Penn State Altoona on the board and in the lead for good. The Lady Lions added three runs in the sixth on Keller’s RBI double, Chambers’ sacrifice fly, and a Bethany error.

Penn State Altoona made it 8-0 in the seventh when another Bethany error allowed sophomore Jessica McClenahan to score.

The Lady Lions’ ECAC Tournament berth was its third in program history and today’s championship win is the first.