PSNK softball pushes win streak to six

After beginning the season with 12 consecutive losses, PSNK softball is on a hot streak. A doubleheader sweep of Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday (10-2 and 8-2 victories) pushed the Lions’ winning streak to six games.

Senior Brittney Wolford (Burrell) led the offense in the first game, collecting three hits and four RBIs. Freshman Hannah Berry (Leechburg) and senior Becca Wilhelm (Burrell) drove in two runs each, and freshman Abigail Michelucci (Canon-McMillan) went 4 for 4.

In the second game, Wolford, Berry and Michelucci led PSNK with two RBIs each.

The Lions (6-12, 4-4 Penn State University Athletic Conference) swept doubleheaders last week against Westmoreland County Community College (12-1 and 7-6) and Penn State Mont Alto (13-3 and 10-2) for their first four wins of the season.

Michelucci also was named the PSUAC’s Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after striking out 18 in 11 innings over last week’s games.

Gannon: Junior Rachel Tanilli (Deer Lakes) hit one of Gannon’s eight homers — tying a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record — in a 15-0 victory over Mercyhurst in the second game of a doubleheader last week. It was her second homer of the week and third of the season; she also went deep in an 8-4 win over Notre Dame College (Ohio). Junior Maria Taliani (Deer Lakes) doubled twice and drove in two runsin the victory over Notre Dame.

Pitt-Greensburg: Freshman Brittany Dunn (Burrell) came up big in the sixth inning as the Bobcats rallied for a 4-3 win over Penn State Altoona in their Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opener. Dunn drove in the tying runs with a two-run single, then scored the go-ahead run on a groundout.

Pitt-Johnstown: Sophomore Kristie Radvan (Freeport) continues to stay hot at the plate. After getting named PSAC Central Division Softball Athlete of the Week, Radvan drove in seven runs last week. That included a pair of three-RBI performances, in a 6-4 loss to Lock Haven and a 9-1 win over Clarion. She had two doubles and scored a run.

Thiel: Senior Jess Kelley (Freeport) shined in the pitching circle and at the plate in an 8-0, six-inning victory over Allegheny. Kelley pitched a shutout, allowing four hits and striking out four, and had two doubles and three RBIs. In four games last week, Kelley went 7 for 15 with three doubles, three RBIs and three runs. Senior Miranda Reesman (Leechburg) had a hot week at the plate, hitting .600 with two doubles and scoring a pair of runs to raise her season average to .350. Reesman went 2-for-2 in the victory over Allegheny.

Westminster: Freshman Krystyna Burdelski (Fox Chapel) pitched a two-hitter in a 4-1 win at Waynesburg. Burdelski allowed just one unearned run and struck out two, lowering her ERA to 2.21.

Baseball

Clarion: Junior Jeremy Frazier (Knoch) limited Gannon to two hits over five shutout innings, earning his first win of the season in an 8-3 victory over the Golden Knights on Monday. Frazier walked three and struck out one.

Women’s basketball

IUP: Junior Natalie Myers (Burrell) helped the Crimson Hawks reach the NCAA Division II Final Four, where the team bowed out with a loss to Southwestern Oklahoma. Myers pulled down six rebounds in IUP’s 73-60 win over Azusa Pacific in the Elite Eight, then led the team with nine boards in the 66-57 loss to Southwestern Oklahoma. Myers finished the season averaging 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Men’s golf

Allegheny: Freshman Alex Lawson (Fox Chapel) paced the Gators at the West Cup at Sierra La Verne Country Club in California. Lawson’s three-round total of a 15-over 228 placed him in a tie for 22nd at the tournament.

Women’s tennis

Slippery Rock: Junior Lacey Cohen (Fox Chapel) helped The Rock upend the third-ranked team in the Atlantic Region, Mercyhurst, 4-3, on Tuesday. Cohen’s comeback win with teammate Olivia Warner at second doubles provided a key point in the win.

Track and field

Ashland: Redshirt freshman Elizabeth Weimer (Burrell) had a strong performance at the Wooster Invitational, turning in three top-three finishes in throwing events. She placed second in the shot put with a toss of 12.64 meters, third in the hammer throw (46.78) and third in the discus (39.33).

Clarion: Junior Letizia Collini (Kiski Area) teamed with Joelle Klein, Brianna Pennington and Anna Foster to place second in the 3,200 relay at the Fred Hardy Invitational in Richmond, Va. The quartet clocked a time of 11 minutes, 10.04 seconds. Collini also finished seventh in the non-Division I 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 12:29.47.

Pitt: Sophomore Nikki Scherer (Burrell) teamed with Sydni Townsend, Nina Crawford and Breanna Phillips to win the 1,600 relay at the Raleigh Relays. Their time of 3:40.15 beat the field by six seconds and was the ninth-fastest time in program history. She also ran with the 400 relay, which finished sixth.

Washington and Jefferson: Sophomore Jack Ryan (Burrell) helped the Presidents’ 400 relay to a first-place finish at the Bethany College Invitational on Saturday. The quartet of Ryan, Jonathan Youse, Collin Christensen and Andrew Wolf finished in 43.37 seconds. Ryan also finished sixth in the 400. Freshman Naomi Hanna (Burrell) placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of of 10.71 meters.

Men’s volleyball

Penn State: Freshman Cal Fisher (Riverview) had five kills on 10 attacks in the Nittany Lions’ 3-0 win over Sacred Heart. It was the 10th match this season that Fisher recorded at least five kills.