CLERMONT, Fla. – The Gannon softball team turned away a seventh-inning rally and posted a 5-4 victory against Bethel (Minn.) Saturday afternoon during the final game of its National Training Center Games schedule in Clermont, Florida. In the process, the Lady Knights gave head coach
Tom Jakubowski his 100th career victory.
Jakubowski is the third Gannon softball coach to reach 100 career victories. Mike Corbett is the program's all-time victory leader with a 323-179 career record. Beth Curtiss sits in second place with a 266-139-1 career slate.
Bethel got on the board first with a two-run showing during the top of the first inning. Gannon wasted little time responding with a three-spot during its half of the inning.
Alexa Archambeault (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and moved to second on a walk to
Courtney Lipka (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier Central). Archambeault then cut the deficit in half, scoring on a fielder's choice. One batter later,
Kasey McKay (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) doubled home two runs to put the Lady Knights in front 3-2.
The lead remained the same until Gannon extended its lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the third. McKay came through again with a two-out RBI single that scored
Rachel deGuia (Canal Fulton, Ohio/Northwest) from second base.
Bethel climbed back within a run after posting a single tally during the top of the fourth. But Gannon regained the two-run cushion on Archambeault's two-out RBI single that drove home
Jess Rectenwald (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) in the sixth.
The Minnesota club came real close to tying the game during the top of the seventh inning. Bethel used an error, a walk, a single and a failed pickoff throw after two outs to cut the deficit to 5-4. With runners on second and third, Rectenwald produced a strikeout to end the game.
McKay led the offensive sticks with two hits and three RBIs in three at-bats. Five different Lady Knights recorded a hit and five different players scored a run.
Alison Benz (Orchard Park, N.Y./Mount Mercy Academy) received the starting assignment on the mound, earning her first career victory with four innings of work. The freshman right-hander surrendered three runs on four hits, striking out three and walking three. Rectenwald picked up the save with three relief innings, allowing one run on two hits. She struck out two and walked two.
Gannon completed its spring trip at 10-1 overall. It represented the program's best showing at the NTC Games since the 2008 squad won 11 of 12 games at the event. Bethel dropped to 1-3. The Lady Knights return to action March 15-17 at the Salem Invitational.
