Emma Smerick Stolen Base Record
Bryce Dolak
Emma Smerick set Gannon season record for stolen bases.
1
Gannon GUSOFT25 21-15, 12-8 PSAC-W
2
Winner Edinboro BORO 7-22, 6-11 PSAC-W
Gannon GUSOFT25
21-15, 12-8 PSAC-W
1
Final
2
Edinboro BORO
7-22, 6-11 PSAC-W
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gannon GUSOFT25 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0
Edinboro BORO 0 0 0 0 0 2 X 2 5 0

W: Giana Ficcaglia (2-10) L: Lenda, Maggie (6-8)

7
Winner Gannon GUSOFT25 22-15, 13-7 PSAC-W
0
Edinboro BORO 7-23, 6-12 PSAC-W
Winner
Gannon GUSOFT25
22-15, 13-7 PSAC-W
7
Final
0
Edinboro BORO
7-23, 6-12 PSAC-W
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gannon GUSOFT25 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 7 8 2
Edinboro BORO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

W: Armstrong, Katie (14-4) L: Grace Kessel (3-6)

Game Recap: Softball | | Taylor Brown, Associate Director of Sports Information & Media Relations

Smerick Sets Single-Season Steals Record as Golden Knights Split with Edinboro

Emma Smerick (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) etched her name into the Gannon record books on Thursday afternoon, setting the program's single-season stolen base mark while helping the Golden Knights earn a doubleheader split with Edinboro at McConnell Family Stadium.

After a narrow 2-1 setback in game one, Gannon responded with a dominant 7-0 shutout in game two behind Smerick's standout performance and a masterful outing from Katie Armstrong (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) in the circle.

Thursday's doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday at Edinboro but cold weather bumped the games back to Thursday at McConnell Family Stadium, with Edinboro the home team.  

Game 1 – Edinboro 2, Gannon 1

Gannon was limited to four hits in the opener, with Natalia Mallozzi (Woodbridge, Ontario/Father Bressani Catholic) delivering the team's lone RBI on a sixth-inning single that briefly gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. Emma Smerick (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) sparked the inning with a bunt single and a stolen base before scoring on Mallozzi's hit to left.

Smerick's swipe marked a new Gannon single-season record, giving her 30 on the year and surpassing Lauren Kitchen's 2001 mark of 29. The milestone came just one game after Smerick also broke the program's single-season triples record, collecting her eighth in a 4-1 loss to Slippery Rock to surpass Sarah Kane's 2000 record of seven.

Edinboro responded in the bottom half of the sixth with a pair of RBI hits to take a 2-1 lead. The Golden Knights nearly rallied in the seventh after a leadoff single from Jenna Clontz (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong), but a lineout double play ended the comeback bid. Maggie Lenda (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) took the loss despite a solid 5.2-inning effort, and Katie Armstrong (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) recorded the final out of the sixth in relief.

Game 2 – Gannon 7, Edinboro 0

Gannon bounced back in dominant fashion in game two, using a six-run third inning to cruise to a 7-0 shutout. Emma Smerick (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) continued her historic day by going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs, while also stealing two more bases to push her total to 32 on the season. Mia Ryan (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) drove in two runs with a single up the middle during the third-inning outburst, while Olivia Eckels (Saint Marys, Pa./Saint Marys Area) chipped in a pair of hits.

Katie Armstrong (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) was nearly untouchable in the circle, tossing a complete-game two-hitter with a career-high 15 strikeouts. That total is tied for the second-highest total at Gannon. Heather Ford struck out 16 vs. Lake Superior State in 2004.

The Golden Knights improved to 22-15 overall and 13-7 in PSAC West play with the victory.

Up Next
Gannon hits the road for a PSAC West showdown in Greensburg, Pa., taking on Seton Hill in a Friday doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. at the SHU Softball Complex. The Golden Knights then play their third doubleheader in three days on Saturday at California (Pa.).

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