April 19, 2008

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Hillsdale, Mich. - Danielle Zubek hit a solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the second game of Mercyhurst's softball doubleheader with Hillsdale to extra innings and the Lakers went on to gain a split with a 2-1 victory. Hillsdale survived game one 8-7 despite two home runs from Jessica McNurlen.

Kari Amboyer got the first win of her career on the mound, pitching all eight innings for Mercyhurst in the 2-1 win. Being called on to start just the second game of her career, she did not disappoint, limiting the Chargers to six hits and one earned run.

The game was scoreless until Brecken Libbe's RBI double in the fifth gave Hillsdale a 1-0 lead. It appeared that Hillsdale would hold on for the 1-0 win and the doubleheader sweep as Michelle Schmitz and Elizabeth Maier struck out in succession to start the bottom of the seventh. But Zubek came up with her first homer of the season to send the game to extra innings.

Amboyer worked around a two-out walk in the top of the eighth and Mercyhurst opened the bottom half of the inning with an Erin Ratajczak single. She stole second and move to third on an error by the catcher. After McNurlen was hit by a pitch, Megan Houston hit a sac fly to right field to score the winning run.

Kara Gorgos and Maier each went 2-for-3 in the win as Mercyhurst outhit Hillsdale 7-6.

In the opening game, Hillsdale scored two runs in the second and three more in both the third and fourth innings to build an 8-4 lead. Mercyhurst closed the gap with a three-run fifth, but the Chargers shut down the Laker bats after that.

McNurlen's first homer came in the top of the first and put Mercyhurst on top 1-0 but Hillsdale took the lead on a Dana Gould single that plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. McNurlen's two-run homer in the third put the Lakers back on top 3-2 but Hillsdale sandwiched one Mercyhurst run around a pair of three-run innings to take an 8-4 lead.

In the fifth, Amber Rapose hit a three-run homer after McNurlen walked and Houston singled to cut the deficit to one run. But the Lakers never threatened again to take the loss.

McNurlen went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI in the opening game and Rapose went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI.

Hillsdale finishes the day with a record of 9-27 overall and 4-6 in GLIAC play. Mercyhurst is now 18-24 overall and 5-9 in conference. The Lakers will play at Wayne State Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.