SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT TO BEGIN FRIDAY

The AMCC softball tournament kicks off this weekend with Penn State Behrend earning the top seed and hosting rights for the championship weekend. In order to maximize the opportunity to play all games with rain in the forecast, Friday's games will be split between two sites -- Penn State Behrend (Erie, PA) and D'Youville College (Buffalo, NY). The Erie site will feature #4 D'Youville vs. #5 Penn St. Altoona at 1:00pm, with the winner facing #1 Behrend at 3:30pm.  In Buffalo, #3 Mount Aloysius will take on #6 Hilbert College at 1:00pm, followed by #2 Medaille College at 3:30p vs. the winner. 

#1 Penn State Behrend (28-10, 14-4 AMCC) finished the regular season leading the conference with 212 runs scored and 16 home runs. Catcher/Infielder Mackenzie McIntyre leads the Lions and ranks fourth in the AMCC with a .425 batting average and leads the league with 36 RBI. Junior pitcher AJ Nichols has had a stellar season in the circle for the Lions as she leads the conference with a 0.84 ERA in 108.1 innings and ranks second with 15 wins and 108 strikeouts. 

Medaille College (19-13, 12-6 AMCC) has clinched the #2 seed and has been led offensively all season by senior outfielder Sharon Trigilio. Trigilio tops the conference with a .486 batting average and also leads the team with nine stolen bases. Sophomore Laura Kratzke has been one of the toughest pitchers in the circle all season as she recorded a commanding 209 strikeouts, an astounding 100 more than the next closest pitcher. Kratzke also leads the conference with 18 wins and has recorded a 2.45 ERA in 188.2 innings pitched.

Mount Aloysius College (17-13, 10-8 AMCC) will be the #3 seed and is led by outfielder Courtney Link's .439 batting average, which ranks her fourth in the conference. Link has also recorded 15 RBI and has scored 31 runs of her own. In the circle, pitcher Hannah Ruby has earned a 1.88 ERA, which is third-best in the league. She has an 8-3 record while striking out 22 batters. 

D'Youville College enters the tournament as the #4 seed after missing the conference tournament one year ago. Catcher/outfielder Ashley Carney and outfielder Jackie Langer rank second and third in the conference, respectively, with .464 and .451 batting averages. 

#5 Penn State Altoona has seen a promising start for freshman pitcher Emily Strouse. In her first season as a Lady Lion, Strouse ranks fourth in the conference with a 1.97 ERA in 127.2 innings pitched. She has racked up 12 wins in the circle and has recorded 41 strikeouts. Shortstop Haley Giedroc leads her team with a .410 batting average and has 18 stolen bases on the season.

After a ninth place finish in 2017,  Hilbert College (15-15, 9-9 AMCC) finds their way into this year's tournament as the #6 seed. Outfielder Maia Delaney leads the Hawks with a .337 batting average, while adding 23 runs and 12 RBI.  Pitcher Rachel Allen picked up nine wins this season, striking out 96 batters and earning a 3.45 ERA.

Follow along to Friday's games here:
@ D'Youville College:
Game 1 - #3 Mt. Aloysius vs. #6 Hilbert, 1pm     Live Stats | Video
Game 3 - #2 Medaille vs. Winner Game 1, 3:30pm     Live Stats | Video

@ Penn St. Behrend
Game 2 - #4 D'Youville vs. #5 Penn St. Altoona, 1pm     Live Stats | Video
Game 4 - #1 Penn St. Behrend vs. Winner Game 2, 3:30pm     Live Stats | Video