ERIE, Pa. – Gannon's offense stayed hot, totaling 21 hits across the doubleheader, as the Golden Knights swept Point Park on Wednesday afternoon.
GAME 1: GANNON 11 – 0 POINT PARK (5 INNINGS)
W: Biles (3-6) | L: Henry (1-9)
Gannon wasted no time getting on the board. After retiring the Pioneers in order to open the game, Emily Spears drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on consecutive wild pitches. Two batters later, Jenna Clontz launched her 10th home run of the season to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead.
The Golden Knights broke the game open in the second inning. Bella Atherton started the rally with a one-out single, followed by hits from Alaina Whipkey and Ashley Fox to load the bases. Back-to-back walks from Emily Smerick and Spears brought in two runs, and Sadie Carroll added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-0.
Clontz struck again later in the inning, blasting her second home run of the game (11th on the season)—a three-run shot—to push the lead to 8-0 after two innings.
Gannon continued to add on in the third, as Smerick singled home two more runs to make it 10-0. An RBI single from Kennedy Maynard in the fourth capped the scoring at 11-0.
Mirandle Biles went the distance for Gannon, tossing a three-hit shutout while striking out five. Emma Henry took the loss for Point Park, allowing 11 runs on nine hits over three innings. Ava Hubble added a scoreless inning in relief.
Cam Mann led the Pioneers offensively, going 2-for-2, while Gia LaBrie recorded the team's only other hit.
GAME 2: GANNON 12 – 4 POINT PARK (6 INNINGS)
W: Westmiller (3-6) | L: Johnson (4-10)
Gannon once again struck early in game two. Emily Smerick led off with a walk, and after an error put two runners on, Clontz drew another walk to load the bases. Alli Novick drove in the first run with a groundout, and Olivia Eckels followed with a two-run double. Lindsay Breuer capped the inning with an RBI double, giving the Golden Knights a 4-0 lead after one.
Point Park responded in the second. Jana Hess and Henry opened the inning with back-to-back singles and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Kaylee Fabiano delivered with a two-run single up the middle to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Gannon answered right back in the third. Clontz singled to lead off the inning, and after a hit-by-pitch and a strikeout, Breuer drove in a run with a single. Kennedy Maynard followed with an RBI double, and Mia Ryan added a sacrifice fly as the Golden Knights extended the lead to 7-2.
The offense kept rolling in the fourth, as Gannon added two more runs on a sacrifice fly from Milla Sanchez and an RBI double from Breuer, making it 9-2.
The Pioneers showed some life in the fifth. LaBrie drew a leadoff walk, and later in the inning, Mann reached on an error that allowed LaBrie to score. Mann then stole second, and another error brought home Hubble, trimming the deficit to 9-4.
Gannon added an insurance run in the fifth on an RBI single from Eckels before ending the game in the sixth. Sanchez led off with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly. Izzy Nageli delivered the final blow with a two-out triple down the left field line, scoring Maynard to end the game via run rule.
Six different Pioneers recorded hits in game two, with Fabiano driving in two runs.
Jessica Westmiller earned the win, allowing two unearned runs on two hits over four innings while striking out five. Julia Johnson took the loss, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) over 5.2 innings with five strikeouts.
UP NEXT
Point Park will hit the road this weekend, traveling to Frostburg State on Saturday and Fairmont State on Sunday. First pitch for both doubleheaders is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
