SOFTBALL DAY 2: UPG, PSA TO MEET FOR AMCC TITLE
#3 Pitt-Greensburg remains undefeated and will represent the winners bracket in the 2025 AMCC softball championship tournament. The Bobcats will face #1 seed Penn St. Altoona, who completed the comeback needed to emerge from the losers bracket and challenge for the conference title and the AMCC automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
A chilly morning in Bradford bloomed into a terrific day of softball, starting with #6 and host Pitt-Bradford taking on #2 Mount Aloysius College in the first elimination game of the day.
The Panthers opened the scoring out of the gate with CF Miranda Groll stealing third then crossing the plate on a throwing error. The Mounties answered in the third with a triple by 3B Kendra Gardner, scoring 1B Brenna Watts. In the 6th, UPB's 1B Meghan Kopp rapped a single to center scoring Krislyn Clement from second and the Panthers were back on top. MAC came right back the next half inning with Watts driving in SS Sarah Henninger, knotting the game at 2 apiece. UPB loosened up their bats in the 7th, scoring twice on three hits. But the Mounties were not done either. With CF Sophie Smith and LF Maya Cappozoli on the corners, Henninger smacked a single to score Smith. MAC then loaded the bases and tied it up when UPB reliever Christa Coagel walked in PR Morgan Hassen. She then got the next Mountie batter to go down swinging to close the inning. In extra innings 2B Whitney Cole and Hassen combined for singles to set the table for Henninger who delivered a double to right field and a 5-4 victory for the 2 seed.
Game 6 had defending champion #4 Penn State Behrend facing #6 Hilbert College, a squad that swept the Behrend Lions in the regular season. Behrend had a rocky start, with P Abby Tingley giving up two hits and walking in two runs in the first. In the third inning, the Lions worked to erase the first inning hiccup, with 2B Izabel Pozar scoring on a Hawk throwing error. 1B Jocelyn McNany then launched a 2-run shot over the fence to put the defending champs up, 3-2. McNany came back in the 5th to drive in RF Chloe Nale and in the 6th, CF Sierra Williams singled in SS Meghan Pettite. Tingley snuffed out a 7th inning, bases-loaded rally by the Hawks and the 5-4 elimination win was in the books fotier Behrend.
In Game 7, top seed Penn State Altoona squared off against #3 Pitt-Greensburg for the battle of the winners bracket. PSA took a 2-0 lead in the early going, led by 1B Gianna Hoppel. The senior got on base with a double, driving in 2B Alyssa Fisher, then scored herself on a hit by SS Karli Storm. The Bobcats were mostly quiet until the 6th inning, when 1B Mackenzie Lane homered off P Jessica Nau, taking SS Hunter Taylor with her to tie the game. The rally continued in the 7th when Taylor doubled to right field, scoring C Jessica Dunn and 3B Shelby Cloak to move ahead 4-2. Despite an RBI single by SS Karli Storm, the Lions' last effort fell just short and the Bobcats walked away with a 4-3 victory and a spot in the championship game Sunday.
Two former champions took the field in Game 8, hoping to stave off elimination. Mount Aloysius drew first blood as DP Maggie Cypher doubled to score LF Greysyn Gable. McNany tied it with a single in the third, sending 3B Athena Iverson across the plate. The Mounties responded in the bottom half of the inning when Cypher doubled again to left center, scoring Henninger to take the lead back. Things were uneventful until the 6th when the Lions' Williams scored on a hit by C Alexia Brown, where the score remained tied until the 13th inning. A squeeze bunt by Williams scored McNany and on the next play another drop bunt by LF Karma Malcolm got Myranda Findlay home. By the time the Mounties got the third out Behrend had three more runs scored for a 7-2 advantage, that became the final margin. It was Abby Tingley's second win of the day in the circle.
Closing Day 2 under the lights, Game 9 was a rematch of Game 4. While Penn St. Behrend swept the regular season match up, Penn St. Altoona needed to take both tournament games to have a shot at the title. With the mission halfway accomplished, Altoona wasted no time in establishing themselves with a 5-run first inning. After 3B Hanna Lauck doubled to left center scoring Fisher, C Madalyn Maynard delivered a grand slam for a 5-0 PSA lead. In the 4th Hoppel padded the margin to 7-0 with a shot over the leftfielders head to score Fisher again along with Taylor. An error at short allowed Hoppel to score and the Altoona Lions led 8-0. Behrend DP Lexi Edgett kept her team alive with a double in the 4th to score McNany, and the Behrend Lions added another on a long sac fly by McNany.
The championship will be at 10am Sunday. If the game ends with the first loss for the losing team, a Game 11 will immediately follow. The winner will receive the AMCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
All-Tournament Team
Pitt-Bradford: Sara Stroup, Lilly Hamels,
Hilbert: Brooke Feliciano, Jazlynn Soliz
Mount Aloysius: Sarah Henninger, Whitney Cole
Penn St. Behrend: Alexia Brown, Athena Iverson
Penn St. Altoona: TBA
Pitt-Greensburg: TBA