Friday, April 17,2009 Lions sweep JULIE KOMAN RECORDS HER EIGHTH WIN AND A SHUTOUT By Nick Blake sports editor npbso4 1 psu.edu The Penn State Behrend softball team has continued their outstanding play with a (3-1) week with sweeps of AMCC foe Pitt-Greensburg and Westminster. In game one of a double header with Pitt-Greensburg on April 11, senior pitcher Julie Koman led the way to a com manding 11-1 victory. She held the Bobcats to one run on four hits and tallied six strikeouts, while recording her eighth win of the season. Katie Whitby and Nikki Kaschauer led the way offen sively for the Blue and White. Whitby was three-for-four with three RBI and Kaschauer was a perfect three-for-three with two RBI. In game two the Lions struck first when Whitby doubled in the top of the first. She crossed A Behrend softball player connects with a pitch Athlete Spotlight: Rachelle Lawrence ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Rachelle Lawrence Softball Senior the plate later in the inning on a double-steal to give the Blue and White a 1-0 lead. Freshman pitcher Emma Hahn got off to a rough start in the bottom of the inning, walk ing three straight batters to load the bases. Pitt-Greensburg's Kelly Walsh was then intentionally walked to bring in the tying run. Hahn then settled in and pitched her way through the inning with no further damage, keeping the game at a 1-1 tie. In the second inning, the Lions blew the game open with a batch of runs. The Blue and White loaded the bases for Allison Babish who wrapped a triple clearing the ducks off the pond to give Behrend a 4-1 lead. Rachelle Lawrence also tripled in the inning and the Lions scored three more runs to take a 7-1 lead. The third inning brought a scare for the Blue and White AMCC wins with Westminster when Pitt-Greensburg loaded the bases, threatening to make the game closer. However, Behrend managed to get out of the inning while giving up only one run. In the fourth inning, the Lions would take the run back extending their lead to 8-2. Behrend got the bats going again in the seventh, putting the game away with five more runs, which led to a 13-2 victo ry. Behrend dominated against Pitt-Greensburg and the hits became a trend. "We played well in both games," Kaschauer said. "The difference between the two games, was against Pitt- Greensburg, our hits became contagious." On April 14, the Lions would take on Westminster in a dou ble header at the Behrend soft ball field. Game one would prove to be a pitching duel between the two teams. Westminster would threaten to score in the fourth by putting runners on first and third. Koman would force the bat ter to hit a grounder, though, which ended the threat and got Behrend out of the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, the Blue and White would get the bats going, loading the bases on three consecutive hits with two outs. Kaschauer then stepped to the plate and ripped a drive up the middle, scoring Whitby, which gave the Lions a 1-0 lead Koman would prove that one run would suffice by shutting down the Titans the rest of the way. Koman pitched a complete game shut out giving up only By Nick Blake sports editor npb5041 ,,, psu.edu This week's ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR Athlete of the Week is Penn State Behrend softball player Rachelle Lawrence. Lawrence, a senior majoring in accounting, plays shortstop for the Blue and White and put up some impressive numbers last week. Lawrence posted a .667 bat ting average on the week going 10-for-15 overall from the plate, helping the Lions to a (3- 1) record. In a two game sweep of Thiel, Lawrence was four-for seven, and then she went six for-eight against AMCC foe Pitt-Greensburg. Lawrence tallied two triples and a homerun. She also drove in eight runs while scor ing five herself, and struck out only once. Lawrence has posted a .406 batting average for the season, has driven in 16 runs and has 26 hits. She credits her out standing numbers to enjoying the game and being confident. "I really didn't do anything different this year," Lawrence said. "I just go up to the plate relaxed and confident, but for the most part, I just have fun with it." Lawrence credits education and softball to her choosing Behrend. However, being able to continue her softball career from high school was a major reason that she decided to attend the Erie campus. "My decision was based on a little bit of both, but getting to continue to play softball was one of the big things that helped me make that final decision," Lawrence said. SPORTS foe Pitt-Greensburg and split two hits and recording seven strikeouts. Kaschauer went two-for three in the game with the game winning RBI. The win gave the Blue and White their 20th win of the sea son. In game two, the Lions loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, but the Titans pitcher would get a strikeout and a fly out would end the inning with no runs scored. In the top of the third, Westminster's Erica Kimmick would tag a pitch, sending it out of the park giving the Titans a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Kaschauer would step up a launch a bomb of her own. The home run would tie the game at 1-1. Westminster exploded in the top of the sixth, sending four runs across the plate on a three-RBI double by pinch hit ter Kelly Fee. Behrend would attempt to get a rally going in the bottom of the seventh, and even though they got one run, they wouldn't be able to overcome the deficit and fell to the Titans 5-2. Kaschauer stressed the fact that the Lions played well against Westminster, they just couldn't produce the runs. "Against Westminster, we out hit them, but we didn't have people on base," Kaschauer said. "We didn't process many runs but we played well." The Blue and White will host La Roche on April 18 in an AMCC double header and then will host Frostburg Stated on April 19. Lawrence has accumulated a number of great memories and experiences from her career at Behrend. "I would have to say my favorite memory, so far, is when Nikki (Kaschauer) and I turned our first true double play against La Roche," Lawrence said. "I really don't have one favorite experience. The past four years have been the greatest. Getting to play softball with an amazing group of girls and having fun while we do it has been an experi ence of a lifetime." After she is done with her education, Lawrence plans on staying in Erie and getting a job at an accounting firm in the area. Be sure to catch Lawrence and the rest of the Behrend Lions softball team as they continue their quest to win back-to-back AMCC champi onships. Top: Julie Koman delivers a pitch against Pitt-Greensburg Bottom: Katie Whitby runs across the plate, scoring a run for the Lions Top: Lawrence prepares to field a ball from her shortstop position Bottom: Lawrence looks on as she drives a pitch to the outfield The Behrend Beacon I 9 Keegan McGregor Theßehrendßeacon CONTRIBUTED PHOTO(TopI Keegan McGregoriTheBehrendßeaconll3oHomi
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