QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - Reaching the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Softball Tournament for the fourth consecutive year, the Gannon Lady Knights run at the conference championship came to a conclusion Friday at Veterans Park. Facing elimination, the Lady Knights dropped a 2-1 pitcher's duel decision on a walk-off home run to Eastern Division top-seed West Chester. The Lady Knights close the season with a 24-21 overall record, reaching the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive year.
The Lady Knights posted a 1-2 record in the double-elimination conference tournament. The Lady Knights fell to Eastern Division No. 2 seed Bloomsburg, 5-2, in the opening contest Thursday before walking off with a 3-2 win in nine innings over Eastern Division No. 4 seed Mansfield later in the evening.
Squaring off for the first time at the PSAC Tournament, the Lady Knights and West Chester were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first three innings. Junior
Jess Rectenwald (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and West Chester's Kim Murl provided solid performances to keep the game scoreless through the first three innings. Among the two combined hits allowed, all of them belonged to the Lady Knights.
The Golden Rams were finally able to generate offense in the bottom of the fourth. Beyond collecting their first hit of the afternoon, the Golden Rams scored the first run on an RBI-single up the middle by Murl for a 1-0 lead.
Meghan Cunha (North Kingsville, Ohio/Edgewood) sent a double down the right-field line to lead off the top of the fifth. Cunha managed to work her way to third through the inning before she was left stranded at third on a ground out.
The Golden Rams looked to add to their 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the fifth with runners at the corners. On the next batter, Rectenwald prevented the Golden Rams from extending their lead, leaving Kelly Anderson looking at the plate to retire the side.
Facing a 1-0 deficit heading into the top of the seventh, redshirt junior
Katie Dunn (Troy, Mich./Troy) sent a solo blast over the center-field wall to tie the game at 1-1. Dunn's home run was her first of the season. Hitting into back-to-back ground outs, the Lady Knights were unable to keep the momentum off Dunn's blast.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, the Golden Rams' Megan Kelly hit a walk-off home run over the left-field fence to advance her team in the elimination bracket with a 2-1 win over the Lady Knights.
Rectenwald, Dunn, Cunha and sophomore
Alexa Archambeault (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) each picked up hits for the Lady Knights.
In the circle, Rectenwald surrendered two runs off five total hits to move to 12-8 overall on the season. The junior also compiled two strikeouts. The Golden Rams' Murl allowed one run off four hits along with four strikeouts.
Posting a 24-21 overall mark, head coach
Tom Jakubowski's squad won nine of their final 11 games, including eight straight to clinch a berth in the PSAC Tournament for the fourth straight season.
