No. 7 CASE WESTERN NIPS BEHREND IN NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

The Penn State Behrend softball team fell to No. 7 Case Western Reserve University 7-4 in the first game of the 2024 NCAA Division III Regional hosted by the Spartans on Thursday afternoon.

Case Western freshman Karen Potts had the eventual game-winning hit with a three-run homer to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning to help the Spartans advance to the winners bracket. Case Western struck early in the first and managed to take back the lead in the sixth. 

The Spartans scored three runs on four hits in the opening frame. Katelyn Lamm hit a two-RBI single to center field to score a pair, while Potts singled and scored to get Case Western on the board. Lexi Miskey, the winning pitcher, fanned six batters including five straight to end the third inning to keep Behrend scoreless. 

In the fifth, the Lions took advantage of the pitching change by the Spartans. After the first out, Behrend got walked twice followed by an Emi Curcio single to load the bases. Alexia Brown got an RBI with a bases-loaded walk. Britney Shaw singles to score Julia Jones before Maria Jones doubled to score Curcio and then Brown. 

Case Western added four more hits in the sixth with one being the long ball from Potts to make it 7-4. Miskey started the game and fanned 11 while giving up four hits to improve to 21-3. Abby Tingley pitched the first 5.1 innings and fanned three in the loss. With the win, the Spartans snapped the Lions 17-game win streak

Next Up: The Lions will play in an elimination game against No. 24 Dominican or No. 25 Calvin tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.