On Wednesday afternoon, the William Paterson Pioneers swept a doubleheader against the Mount Saint Mary College Knights at Pioneer Softball Field in Wayne, N.J.
In Game One, after a scoreless first inning, the Pioneers opened the scoring in the second when Kelsey Geurts singled to drive in Lilah Guthy for a 1-0 lead.
In the third, the Knights tied the game at 1 on a sacrifice fly to center field. The Pioneers responded with an Aubrey Miller single up the middle that scored Megan Tinger, restoring a one run lead.
Photo Courtesy: WPU Athletics
After a scoreless fourth inning, the Pioneers broke the game open in the fifth. Megan Tinger singled to left, allowing Hailey Backo to score, followed by a Geurts two run single to right center that drove in Samantha Campos and Tinger for a 5-1 advantage.
In the sixth, the Pioneers added more runs. Hailey Backo singled down the left side, bringing home Brandi Shortway. Samantha Campos then hit a two run double, scoring Backo and Guthy.
The Pioneers closed out the seventh inning without allowing a run, securing an 8-1 victory.
Lilah Guthy led the way in Game One, pitching a complete game with seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out nine, tying the team’s season high. She also recorded a hit and scored twice.
Grace MacDonald pitched for the Knights, recording three strikeouts over six innings while allowing seven earned runs.
In Game Two, the Pioneers opened the scoring when Brandi Shortway came home on a wild pitch for an early 1-0 lead.
Photo Courtesy: WPU Athletics
The second, third and fourth innings were scoreless. In the fifth, the Pioneers extended their lead when Hailey Backo reached on an error and Courtney DiPrenda scored on the play. Megan Tinger followed with an RBI double to right, scoring Backo for a 3-0 lead.
The rest of the game remained scoreless as the Pioneers completed the sweep with a 3-0 win.
Aubrey Miller pitched a complete game shutout in Game Two, allowing two hits and striking out six over seven innings.
Peyton Dost pitched for the Knights, recording two strikeouts while allowing three runs on eight hits over six innings.
William Paterson is now 12-13 (2-6) on the season and will continue NJAC play in a home stretch against Kean University on Saturday, April 11, at 1:00 p.m.
