GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College softball split a home Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon with Franciscan at College Field. Grove City a 9-4 win in the opener while Franciscan bounced back for a 7-3 win in Game Two.
A pair of three-run innings helped Grove City jump out to an early 6-0 lead in Game One. Senior first baseman
Haley Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) opened the scoring when she singled home sophomore DP
Janessa Dawson (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley). Junior shortstop
Lexi Buck (Akron, Ohio/Lake Center Christian) drove home freshman catcher
Emily Smyth (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) with a groundout, pushing the lead to 2-0. Dietz then scored when freshman third baseman
Maralee Caldana (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) cracked the first of her two doubles.
Dawson scored Grove City's fourth run when she came home on a second-inning single by senior right fielder
Hannah Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton).
Haley Dietz followed with a two-run double that scored
Hannah Dietz and Smyth.
Franciscan cut Grove City's lead to 6-4 in the third inning but senior pitcher
Ashley Cornelius (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to give Grove City (11-13, 6-4 PAC) an 8-4 advantage.
Hannah Dietz's double in the sixth inning drove in Dawson.
Caldana and Smyth both finished 3 for 4, helping Grove City finish with a dozen hits. Dawson scored three times.
Cornelius (8-5) earned the win after allowing four runs in seven innings. She struck out four and walked one.
Grove City trailed 2-0 in the first inning of Game Two but quickly rallied to take the lead. Dawson scored on
Haley Dietz's sacrifice fly, opening the Wolverines' scoring. Freshman left fielder
Lauren McNeil (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) singled in Caldana and
Hannah Dietz, putting Grove City ahead 3-2.
Dawson doubled as part of a 2-for-3 outing while
Haley Dietz went 2 for 2.
Dawson started in the circle and allowed two earned run in five innings. She struck out five and walked two. Dawson absorbed the defeat. Cornelius allowed two earned runs in two innings of relief.
Grove City will host conference rival Westminster in a doubleheader Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.