A-K Valley campus clippings: Freeport grad Kelley has big week for Thiel softball

The Presidents’ Athletic Conference made its weekly award selections for softball Monday, and it had a pretty clear-cut choice for hitter of the week.

Thiel senior Jess Kelley (Freeport) dominated at the plate in four games last week, going a combined 14 for 16 with a double, seven RBIs and five runs to help the Tomcats sweep doubleheaders with Waynesburg and Grove City.

The red-hot week raised Kelley’s season batting average to .456, with 23 RBIs. But not limited to hitting, Kelley also picked up two wins and a save, including a shutout over Waynesburg.

Senior Miranda Reesman (Leechburg) also shined at the plate, with a 3-for-4, four-RBI performance in an 8-0 win over Waynesburg. The senior catcher also had a strong performance in the sweep of Grove City, going a combined 3 for 8 with a double and RBI. She was hitting .348 with a team-high 11 doubles.

Franciscan: Freshman Anna Swierczewski (St. Joseph) helped the Barons establish a new program record for single-season victories with a doubleheader sweep over Penn State Altoona. Swierczewski went 3 for 6 in the two victories, hitting her third home run of the season in the second contest, a 6-0 Franciscan victory.

Gannon: Junior Rachel Tanilli (Deer Lakes) was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Athlete of the Week on Monday. Tanilli had the first multi-homer game of her college career when she went deep twice in the Golden Knights’ 6-1 victory over Slippery Rock on Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader.

Tanilli’s first home run, a solo shot, tied the score in the fourth inning. An inning later, she followed Kaity Stocker’s tiebreaking three-run homer with another solo shot. The outfielder also hit a solo homer in the first game of the doubleheader, a 7-6 Slippery Rock win.

Fellow junior Maria Taliani (Deer Lakes) hit an RBI double in that game.

Mount Aloysius: Freshman Tawyna Holben (Fox Chapel) delivered a pinch-hit walkoff single for the Mounties in a 3-2 win over Pitt-Greensburg on Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader. Holben added a two-run double in the second contest, a 7-1 win. Freshman Emily Cochran (Highlands) went a combined 6 for 7 with four RBIs in the sweep.

Point Park: Senior Tiffany Edwards (Deer Lakes) had her best day of the season at the plate in a doubleheader sweep of Slippery Rock, collecting six hits in seven at-bats. She went 4 for 4 with two runs in the second game, runs in the 5-1 victory. In the first game Edwards went 2 for 3.

Saint Vincent: Freshman Celia Knappenberger (Knoch) pitched a four-hitter, leading the Bearcats to a 2-1 win over Grove City in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. Knappenberger struck out eight and allowed one unearned run.

In the second game, sophomore Shae Robson (Deer Lakes) went 2 for 5 with two runs scored and an RBI to help Saint Vincent earn a 9-7 win.

Women’s tennis

Slippery Rock: Junior Lacey Cohen (Fox Chapel) was named the PSAC’s Western Division Athlete of the Week on Monday, her second award of the season.

Cohen went 1-1 in singles play and 2-0 in doubles play, toppling regionally ranked Lotte Lesscher y Post in straight sets during a match against Goldey-Beacom.