SB splits weekend games; must win Monday

The growth of the Penn State Fayette softball program has happened in leaps and bounds this season under first-year head coach Alex Rohlf.

One of the team's goals was to make the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) tournament, and after splitting four PSUAC games over the weekend, Monday will dictate if the team advances or not to the six-team playoff.

If Fayette (10-14 overall, 6-10 PSUAC) sweeps Penn State DuBois (14-16, 11-5) Monday, it qualifies.  However, things get tricky if Fayette does not sweep DuBois as the outcome of the doubleheader between Penn State Greater Allegheny (7-15, 6-10) and Penn State Schuylkill (18-9, 10-4) would factor in.  If Fayette splits with DuBois and Greater Allegheny splits with Schuylkill, it is believed that Fayette gets in.  But if Fayette splits and Greater Allegheny sweeps Schuylkill, then Fayette would be on the outside looking in.  One last scenario would leave both Fayette and Greater Allegheny out of the playoffs.  If both were to get swept, Penn State Mont Alto (12-20, 6-12) would own the three-way tiebreaker between the teams.  Its head-to-head record in games between the teams is 3-1 while Greater Allegheny is 2-2 and Fayette is 1-3.  Despite this, Rohlf knows that her team controls their destiny.

"If we sweep Monday, we are in," said Rohlf. "A split puts us in as long as Greater Allegheny doesn't sweep Schuylkill."

This scenario was set up after Penn State was swept at Penn State Hazleton (12-14, 10-6) Friday by scores of 12-9 and 5-3 before sweeping Penn State Scranton (0-20, 0-14) Saturday by scores of 14-1 and 23-2.

"Friday, both teams came out hitting the ball well," Rohlf said. "Unfortunately, (Hazleton) was able to push across a few more runs than we were.  They were a very good hitting team.  Against Scranton, we were able to have a great day at the plate.  Every player was able to get at least one hit and one RBI."

In Friday's opener, Fayette led Hazleton 5-2 going into the bottom of the second, but Hazleton scored eight runs in the frame to take control of the game.

Sammi McGhee (Hutchison, PA/Yough HS) led Fayette with three hits (two singles and a double).  She scored three runs and drove in two.  Cassidy Uphold (Grantsville, MD/Northern Garrett HS), Courtney McKlveen (Ligonier, PA/Ligonier HS), Emily Conklin (Carmichaels, PA/Carmichaels HS), Lauren Mastowski (Dawson, PA/Frazier HS) and Brianna Hunt (Berlin, PA/Berlin Brothersvalley HS) each recorded two hits apiece.

In the 5-3 loss in the nightcap, McKlveen and Lauran Minerd (Uniontown, PA/Albert Gallatin HS) led Fayette with two hits each.

In the opener Saturday, seven Fayette players had multiple hits as the team finished with 21 hits for the game.  Kelsey Holp (Grindstone, PA/Frazier HS) led the way with four hits (three singles and a double) while Uphold, Minerd and Hunt each had three hits (two singles and a double each).  McGhee, McKlveen, and Mastowski had two hits apiece. Conklin drove in three runs.

In the nightcap, Mastowski led Fayette's 24-hit attack with five singles.  Hunt and Minerd had four hits apiece, McGhee and McKlveen had three each and Uphold finished with two.  McGhee, McKlveen, Hunt and Minerd each drove in three runs. 

Fayette will look to keep the hot bats rolling, and both Rohlf and the team knows what it needs to do Monday.

"We are set up going into Monday with a chance to clinch a playoff spot," said Rohlf. "The team is hungry and wants that so bad.  We need to handle our business with DuBois.  It'll be a challenge, but our girls are up to the test."

Fayette hosts Monday's double header with action starting at 2 p.m. Fayette will have an eye on the Greater Allegheny and Schuylkill scores as that doubleheader starts at noon.

For more information on the Penn State softball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/sball/index or follow the team on Instagram @fayetteathletics.