Jules Ryan vs. Wingate
Bryce Dolak
10
Winner Mercyhurst MERSB 30-19, 20-11 PSAC W
5
Gannon GAN-S 18-25, 17-14 PSAC W
Winner
Mercyhurst MERSB
30-19, 20-11 PSAC W
10
Final
5
Gannon GAN-S
18-25, 17-14 PSAC W
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mercyhurst MERSB 1 4 0 0 1 0 4 10 15 2
Gannon GAN-S 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 5 9 5

W: North, Alexa (4-3) L: Lenda, Maggie (10-9) S: Harvey, Ashlyn (2)

11
Winner Mercyhurst MERSB 31-19, 21-11 PSAC W
3
Gannon GAN-S 18-26, 17-15 PSAC W
Winner
Mercyhurst MERSB
31-19, 21-11 PSAC W
11
Final
3
Gannon GAN-S
18-26, 17-15 PSAC W
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Mercyhurst MERSB 4 0 0 6 1 11 11 1
Gannon GAN-S 0 1 2 0 0 3 5 2

W: Hilty, Morgan (17-8) L: Lenda, Maggie (10-10)

Game Recap: Softball | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Golden Knights Headed to PSAC Tournament Despite Dropping a Pair to Mercyhurst

ERIE, Pa. – Saturday's doubleheader against Mercyhurst is one head coach Michelle Wiley would like to forget. But despite falling to the Lakers by scores of 10-5 and 11-3 in five innings the Golden Knights achieved the ultimate goal, clinching a spot in the PSAC Tournament for the 12th straight time.

Gannon (18-26) will enter postseason play on Wednesday, May 3 at Quakertown, Pa. as the number five  seed out of the Western Division. Gannon and Indiana (Pa.) tied with identical records of 17-15 in league play, but the Golden Knights won the tiebreaker thanks to three wins in four meetings with the Crimson Hawks.  

On Saturday the Golden Knights had to overcome early rainy conditions that resulted in a 35-minute rain delay in the first game plus a Mercyhurst (31-19, 21-11 PSAC West) offense that came in hitting a PSAC-leading .342 as a team. They had little luck slowing down the hard-hitting Lakers as Mercyhurst totaled 26 hits in the two games. But the Golden Knights were also their own worst enemies with seven errors total. Gannon also continued to hit the ball well.

GAME 1 – Mercyhurst 10, Gannon 5
Two big innings did in the Golden Knights, along with the inability to come up with the timely hit. The teams exchanged runs in the first inning, with Gannon scoring on an RBI single by Jules Ryan (Collegeville, Pa./Spring Ford). The Lakers sent eight batters to the plate in the second inning and scored four times. Andrea Watson (Venus, Pa./Cranberry Area) and Ryan opened the third with back-to-back doubles as Gannon closed to 5-2 after three innings. The game was delayed for 35 minutes at the start of the bottom of the fourth. Mercyhurst boosted the lead to 6-2 with a run in the fifth, but Gannon answered in the bottom of the frame when Josie Spano (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy) homered to left. It was the freshman's fifth of the year. But the Golden Knights proceeded to but runners on second and third with no outs and did not score again. All told Gannon left six runners in scoring position. Mercyhurst blew the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh. Gannon didn't go quietly scoring twice. Lea Coffman's (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) fielder's choice drove in one run and Hannah Neal (Woodhaven, Mich./Woodhaven) had an RBI double. Ryan, Neal, and Natalia Mallozzi (Woodbridge, Ontario/Father Bressani Catholic) all went 2-for-4, with Ryan driving in a pair of runs. Five Gannon errors accounted for five unearned runs.

GAME 2 – Mercyhurst 11, Gannon 3 (5 innings)
The Lakers had yet another pair of big innings in them in the second game. They hit around in the top of the first and scored four times, aided by a pair of errors. Gannon closed to 4-3 after three innings with a single run in the second inning and two more in the third. Abbey Girman (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) opened the second inning with her 12th home run of the season, a long blast well over the fence in left center field. The sophomore is now two home runs shy of the school record after hitting five in her last 11 games. She is now tied for second in home runs in a season. Two more scored in the third on an error and a double by Josie Spano (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy). Mercyhurst pulled away with six runs in the top of the fourth as ten batters went to the plate. The Lakers added a run in the top of the fifth to end the game after Gannon went in order in the bottom of the inning.  
 
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