FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dan Donohue, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information, 610-606-4666 x. 3725
FALCONS WHITTLE THE GIANTS DOWN TO SIZE
Allentown, PA (April 11, 2011) - Well. This one had a little bit of everything - a suspension for rain, two two-run home runs, a three-run home run, a grand slam, and two come-from-behind victories by Cedar Crest, as the Falcons earned two well-deserved CSAC wins over the Giants of Keystone College in a matchup that stretched over the weekend.
The first game began Friday in sloppy conditions and under a cool drizzle. The prospect of the game becoming an offensive struggle was apparent right away as Keystone sent their entire lineup to the plate in the first inning and jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Falcons replied with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the first, then exploded for five more in the second, mainly off a beautiful grand slam home run by junior pitcher Natalia Dial (Kannapolis, NC/Jesse C. Carson). At that point, with the score 8-4 and just two complete innings in, the game was suspended due to field conditions.
On Monday, although Cedar Crest was able to drive in one more run in the third, the offense for both sides was a little slow in getting up to speed. Both teams combined for just four hits and no runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but then seemed to hit their stride in the sixth. With the top of Keystone's order up, Janessa Karwowski drove in a run on a double, followed by a two-run homer by Stephanie Puckett to clear the bases. Some fielding problems allowed Keystone's next few batters to take some extra bases, resulting in three more runs for a total of six and a 10-9 Keystone lead. Not to be outdone, Cedar Crest quickly responded in the bottom of the sixth with a walk and five consecutive singles from the middle of the lineup to score four runs and retake the lead, 13-10.
The fireworks were not over, however. In the seventh, the Giants drove in one run on a double by Jessica Weingart, then with two outs and still facing a two-run deficit, Lisa Ostrander cracked a three-run home run over the left field fence to put Keystone back on top 14-13. In the bottom of the inning the Falcons hung tough, with Tammy Touhsaent (Mertztown, PA/Kutztown) getting on base on a walk, followed by a single by Shannon Wenner (Drums, Pa./MMI Preparatory). The runners advanced to scoring positions on a passed ball, and a single by Dial brought the tying run home. A nice sacrifice fly to center by sophomore Lauren Salge (Robbinsville, N.J./Allentown) drove in the winning run and Cedar Crest escaped with a 15-14 win.
The nightcap was only slightly less exciting. After a three up, three down first inning for both teams, Keystone drew first blood with two RBI singles from Samantha Hartman and Ostrander. Cedar Crest put up a run of their own with an RBI single by Salge, before a wild pitch with bases loaded allowed Dial to tie the score at 2-2. In the third, the Falcons scored three on back to back doubles by Wenner and Dial to go up 5-2. The Giants came back with four runs on a several singles in the fourth to retake the lead 6-5, until Wenner pasted a two-run homer, the first of her career, over the center field fence to put Cedar Crest back up 7-6. Keystone still managed to tie it up once more in the sixth as Danielle Cedeno scored on a badly-fielded single by Karwowski, but Cedar Crest scored the winning run as Palmisano doubled, was advanced by a Touhsaent sacrifice, and driven home by a Wenner single in the bottom of the sixth. The Falcons allowed just one hit in the seventh to preserve the 8-7 win.
The Falcons are now 8-14 overall and 7-5 in the conference, while Keystone drops to 10-12 and 6-8 in the CSAC. The Falcons' next game will be a CSAC doubleheader at home against Neumann on Friday, April 15th, at 3:00 p.m.
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