CLINTON, S.C. – A pair of photo-finishes in the opening day of the Pinnacle PC Invitational drifted away from the Presbyterian College softball team on Friday night, downed by the Eagles of Morehead State and the Youngstown State Penguins in final tallies of 6-3 and 4-1 respectively.
A three-run 6
th period allowed the first bout to go the way of the visitors, ultimately seeing a similar fate in the nightcap after a solo home run in the 7
th gave way to extra-innings. The Blue Hose came inches away from a W on both occasions, now with a record of 2-4.
There will be little time to dwell on Friday's tight losses, transitioning to another loaded day in less than 24 hours as PC will tangle with YSU once more (but not before a meeting with Valparaiso at approximately 2:30 PM).
NOTABLES
- Although she was saddled with the L in the second half of the doubleheader, fifth-year twirler
Jenna Greene was magnificent again as she eclipsed 150 pitches in the marathon matchup. Her second strikeout versus Youngstown was the 600
th of her career, the first player in PC history to reach that gargantuan number on her way to 10 K's overall.
- Sophomore starter
Peyton Duncan turned in another solid showing in the circle during the first portion of the proceedings, canning seven batters against Morehead State while walking just one.
- On the offensive side of the spectrum, both
Kendall Owens and freshman
Logan Grice came away with a multi-hit effort when facing MSU, part of 13 connections at the plate for head coach
David Williams' club.
- Grice, in particular, penned a memorable moment in the bottom of the 2
nd against the Eagles when she went yard for the first time in her collegiate career. Both of Presby's homers in 2024 have come from new faces, joining
Emma Yanes who cleared the fence last weekend.
- Reigning Big South Freshman of the Week
Kasey Wolfe grabbed her sixth RBI of the campaign when squaring off with the Penguins, bringing
Kaitlyn Tucker home in the first frame.
- YSU's sudden extension into the 8
th inning was the first time in 20 PC meetings that the contest wasn't decided in a standard seven, harking back to an April '23 victory over Radford.
GAME ONE – MOREHEAD STATE (1-0) def. PRESBYTERIAN (2-3), 6-3
- Round one against the Eagles was carried out in increments of three runs, the first of those sequences coming from the blue and garnet on Grice's aforementioned HR and
Mallory Fletcher finding home in the aftermath of a wild pitch.
- That 2
nd-inning spurt was all that Presbyterian conjured in the affair, witnessing a game-closing six-score run by Morehead that went from a tie to a lead in the penultimate inning.
GAME TWO – YOUNGSTOWN STATE (6-1) def. PRESBYTERIAN (2-4), 4-1 – 8 INNINGS
- Unfortunately for the Blue Hose, a closely-following theme permeated the closing game when comparing the first and second boxes, gaining a run from Wolfe in the opening stanza but held without any other concession scores the rest of the way.
- While Greene and the rest of PC's defense performed admirably against a Youngstown foe that had carved a respectable 5-1 record going into the clash, the Penguins' trademark of sluggish finishes ended up forming another W of that variety with the 7
th-inning homer.
- From there, YSU was able to keep up the momentum and earn the win from relief pitcher Devan Ryan who tossed the last four chapters of the intense encounter.
UP NEXT
- A second-straight doubleheader path will await coach Williams' crew when the sun rises, engaging with Valparaiso just after lunchtime tomorrow before enacting a Youngstown rematch at approximately 5:00 PM.
- From there, the Blue Hose will aim for a dose of revenge against Morehead State, primed for a 12:15 dual at the tail end of the Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
