CLARION, Pa. – When the PSAC West softball season arrived, Gannon's pitching arrived, too.

So did the Golden Knights' timely hitting.

The Gannon softball team rallied twice to sweep Clarion by scores of 2-1 and 3-2 on Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium to extend the Golden Knights' winning streak to three games. Gannon improved 4-2 in the PSAC West and 5-13 overall. Clarion slipped to 11-9 and 2-4.

Gabi Vasi (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East) and Maggie Lenda (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) earned complete-game victories for the Golden Knights, while Andrea Watson (Venus, Pa./Cranberry Area) delivered the clutch hit Game 1 and Lauryn Rougeux (Erie, Pa./McDowell) drove home the tying and winning runs in Game 2.

Game 1:
Gannon 2, Clarion 1: Watson hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the fifth inning and Vasi earned her third consecutive complete-game win.

The Golden Eagles led 1-0 in the fifth inning when the Knights put together the decisive rally.

Lynn Porter (Hanover, Mass./Ardrey Kell) led off the inning with a double and Maddie Krause (North Royalton, Ohio/Holy Name High) followed with a single. Watson then connected on a double to center field to bring home both Krause and Watson.

Vasi made the one-run lead stand up over the final three innings. She retired eight of the last nine batters she faced to preserve the victory and move to 3-5. The junior right-hander struck out three and walked one while allowing five hits. Her teammates backed her up with solid defense.

In her past three games, Vasi has a 1.75 earned-run average while striking out 22 and walking just three in 24 innings of work. During that span, she has lowered her ERA from 8.57 to 4.52.

Porter and Krause each had two hits to lead Gannon's seven-hit attack.

Game 2:
Gannon 3, Clarion 2: Rougeux drove in the tying run and the decisive run, and Lenda pitched six consecutive scoreless innings after a shaky first inning.

Clarion scored twice in the first, but Lenda (2-3) steadied herself and dominated the rest of the way. The sophomore right-hander allowed only three hits and struck out eight while working around six bases on balls.

Gannon got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. After Porter, Ashley Fox (Cowansville, Pa./Karns City), and Krause singled to load the bases, Watson singled to score Porter.

In the fifth inning, Natalia Mallozzi (Woodbridge, Ontario/Father Bressani Catholic) and Josie Spano (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy) opened with back-to-back singles. One out later, Rougeux's single scored Mallozzi to tie the game at 2-2.

Mallozzi singled again to lead off the seventh inning and advanced to third on an error. Rougeux then lifted sacrifice fly to center field to give Gannon the lead.

Clarion's Alyssa Stitt drew a walk to open the bottom of the seventh, but Rougeux provided a huge out form her catcher's position when she made a throw from her knees to catch Stitt stealing at second base.
Lenda then induced back-to-back popups to Porter at second base to end the game.

Spano led Gannon with three hits, while Waton, Mallozzi, and Rougeux had two apiece.

What's next:

Gannon is scheduled to return to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Pitt-Johnstown beginning at 2 p.m.