Softball Comes Up Short Against Drew, PSU Altoona

NAPLES, Fla. – The Elms College softball team dropped two close games on Sunday as the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic continued in Naples, Fla., on Sunday.

The Blazers fell 2-1 to Drew in the first game of the day, before dropping a 6-2 contest to Penn State Altoona in the afternoon.

Elms (0-4) is off on Monday before facing Anna Maria and Albion on March 6.

GAME 1 – Drew 2, Elms 1
The Blazers started the morning with their second one-run loss in as many days. Elms had an early 1-0 in an eventful second inning. Elizabeth Olszewski and Catharine Wrang got things started with back-to-back singles. After a sacrifice bunt from Jeszy McGuire and a walk from Tyla Risucci the Blazers had the bases loaded with one out. After Tea Sullivan fouled out Lisa Lusardi was able to knock in a run with an RBI single up the middle, but Wrang was thrown out at home trying to make it a two-run hit, ending the inning.

The Blazers maintained the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Drew scored a pair of runs on three hits to take a 2-1 lead. The Blazers strung together two hits in the fifth inning and one in the sixth, but were unable to get the tying run home.

Each team had seven hits in the game. Elms stranded seven runners while Drew left nine on base.

Tyla Risucci went 2-for-2 at the plate and Wrang finished with two hits in three at-bats. Lisa Lusardi (0-3) allowed one earned run and six hits in five innings while striking out three and walking three and took the loss. Raeanna Tumel tossed the sixth inning and struck out one batter for Elms. Cara O'Leary got the win after tossing seven innings of one-run ball for Drew.  

GAME 2 – PSU Altoona 6, Elms 2
The Blazers jumped out to a lead again, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning after stringing together three hits and taking advantage of a PSU Altoona error.

Elms pitcher Raeanna Tumel kept PSU Altoona off the board through three innings, but the Blazers couldn't overcome a flurry of defensive miscues in the fourth. Haley Giedroc reach first on an error to lead off the inning then stole second. An RBI double from Meghan Marasti made it 2-1, and she later scored on an single from Olivia Miller. An error on a routine infield pop up kept the inning alive, and a passed ball left two PSU Altoona runners in scoring position and they both scored on a two-run double from Jessica Willits, putting the Blazers behind 4-2.

PSU Altoona tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for the 6-2 win.

Elizabeth Olszewski went 2-for-2 with an RBI for Elms, and Kayla Doherty went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Tumel threw five innings and allowed six hits and three earned runs in the loss, while striking out three batters. Sidney Shultz threw a complete game to pick up the win, striking out five Elms batters and giving up five hits.