#2 Penn St. Behrend had to defeat #1 D'Youville twice on Sunday in order to claim the 2015 AMCC softball title and earn an automatic bid to the national tournament. Not only did they knock off the top seed and tournament host, but they did so in dramatic fashion.
Behrend posted a 2-1 victory in game one thanks to a pair of runs in the sixth inning and holding the Spartans to a single run in the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Rachel Miller bunted to get on first and freshman Sarah Blagg reached on an error. Sophomore Allania Banta knocked in Miller off third with a sacrifice fly, before Blagg scored on a single up the middle from sophomore Shannon McDonnell.
Miller pitched both games. She threw four innings in the first and allowed five hits with no runs and freshman Alexa Bupp picked up the win in three innings of work and two strike outs. Miller returned in the second game and went all 13 innings for her 14th win.
In game two, the Lions used a hit and an error in the sixth inning to get two runners on base with no outs. Blagg singled through the left side and this time Banta reached on an error. Sophomore Amanda Krolczyk got the sacrifice to advance the runners and McDonnell followed with the sacrifice fly to send in Blagg for a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans tied it up in the fifth inning when junior Lydia Monin scored on a wild pitch.
Seven scoreless innings went by with just a total of five hits by both teams until the 13th inning.
D'Youville scored first on an RBI single by junior MacKenzie Kehlenbeck, scoring sophomore Hannah Turek, for a 2-1 edge.
In the bottom of the 13th, both Banta and Krolczyk singled to start the inning. McDonnell got the third straight hit with a single to right field to send Banta home to make it 2-all. Bupp walked to load the bases and sophomore Julia Luke singled through the left side to bring Krolczyk home with the game winner.
Penn St. Behrend will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA national tournament which will be held May 21-26 in Salem, VA.
Softball All Tournament Team:
Penn St. Behrend
Rachel Miller, Sophomore, P
Amanda Krolczyk, Sophomore, P/1B
Allania Banta, Sophomore, C/SS
D'Youville
Kalie McHenry, Junior, P
MacKenzie Kelenbeck, Junior, INF
Hannah Turek, Sophomore, UTIL/P
La Roche
Kaylee Zozos, Senior, C
Kara Sainato, Sophomore, INF/P
Mt. Aloysius
Kelsey Ickes, Senior, P
Alex Teeter, Sophomore, 1B
Penn St. Altoona
Colleen Meehan, Sophomore, OF/P
Alamaria Miller, Senior, OF
Pitt-Greensburg
Alyssa Panza, Freshman, OF
Alexandra Kleer, Sophomore, OF