WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Thiel College softball team opened its season Sunday with a pair of losses on the road to the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets.
Thiel lost the first game 7-5 before falling 17-9 in the second game.
The Tomcats took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the first game on
Lindsey Durboraw's (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) 2-RBI double to right center field. Waynesburg scored four runs in the second and third innings. The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 7-2 in the sixth inning.
The Tomcats scored three runs in the seventh inning.
Kylee Yothers (Indian Head, Pa./Connellsville Area) drove in a run on a double to left center while
Ali Arter (Johnstown, Ohio/Johnstown-Monroe) recorded an RBI on a single.
Mary Proper (Meadville, Pa./Maplewood) brought in Thiel's final run of the game on a groundout.
Kayla Roddy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) allowed five earned runs on seven hits in the first game. She struck out nine batters without giving up a walk. Kara May earned the win for the Yellow Jackets. She allowed four earned runs on five hits. Ella Brookman picked up the save.
Yothers, Arter and
Casey Buechel (Allison Park, Pa./Deer Lakes) each collected a pair of hits in the first game while
Lindsey Durboraw (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) tallied two RBIs.
The Yellow Jackets built a 14-0 lead after three innings in the second game, but the Tomcats got back into the game with a nine-run effort in the fourth inning.
Roddy led off the fourth frame with a solo homer, and Arter drove in the second run on a single into left field. With runners on the corners, Buechel recorded the key hit of the inning, a three-run bomb over the left field fence that cut Waynesburg's lead down to 14-5.
Two more Tomcats reached base after Buechel's home run, setting the stage for Roddy to add two more RBIs in the inning on a single. Thiel went on to add two more runs in the fourth on errors.
The Yellow Jackets went on to score two runs in the bottom of the fourth and one more run in the fifth to earn the win.
Roddy and Buechel each collected two hits in the second game. They each hit a home run and drove in three runs. Arter also chipped in with two hits and one RBI.
The Tomcats will return to action Thursday when they host the Westminster Titans. The first game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
