PITTSBURGH, Pa. - La Roche softball used strong offense in the opening game of Saturday's twin-bill against Pitt-Bradford to come out victorious, then in game two, picked up a tying run in the bottom of the seventh, forcing extra innings and prevailed to pick up the sweep.
GAME ONE: LRU 8 UPB 4
La Roche opened its doubleheader with an 8–4 victory over Pitt.-Bradford, using back-to-back explosive innings at the plate to take control and secure the win.
For the first three innings, both teams remained locked in a scoreless battle as La Roche pitcher Maura Wade kept Pitt.-Bradford in check, allowing minimal traffic on the bases while the offense worked to find its rhythm.
That rhythm arrived in the fourth inning.
La Roche broke the game open with a four-run frame, sparked by Wade herself, who helped her own cause by scoring the game's first run on an RBI single from Taylor Young. Moments later, Cassidee Fitterer delivered with a single to right field that drove in another run, with additional damage coming off a defensive miscue. Ashlee Bair followed with an RBI single to extend the lead, and Anastacia Jacobs capped the inning with a sacrifice that brought home another run, giving La Roche a 4–0 advantage.
Pitt.-Bradford responded in the fifth inning, capitalizing on a combination of hits and La Roche errors to score four runs and tie the game at 4–4. Despite the sudden shift in momentum, La Roche quickly answered.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Redhawks regained control with another four-run outburst. Finley Hohn started the rally with an RBI single to put La Roche back on top. Fitterer added another RBI on a groundout, and Bair came through again in a big moment, driving in two more runs with a single to extend the lead to 8–4.
From there, Wade settled back in the circle and closed the door. She pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits and four runs—only two earned—while limiting Pitt.-Bradford's chances over the final two innings to secure her first win of the season.
La Roche finished with 12 hits in the game, led by multi-hit performances from Wade, Hohn, Fitterer, and Bair. Bair drove in three runs to pace the offense, while Fitterer added two RBIs of her own.
GAME TWO: LRU 5 UPB 4 F/8
La Roche completed the doubleheader split with a hard-fought 5–4 extra-inning victory over Pitt.-Bradford, overcoming defensive miscues with timely hitting and late-game execution.
The Redhawks struck first in the opening inning when Cassidee Fitterer lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Brooke Murgenovich, who had reached base and used her speed to get into scoring position for the early 1–0 lead.
Pitt.-Bradford answered in the second inning to tie the game and then took control in the fifth. Capitalizing on La Roche errors, the visitors scored twice to move ahead 3–1. Despite the defensive struggles—La Roche committed five errors in the game—the Redhawks responded immediately.
In the bottom of the fifth, Murgenovich once again ignited the offense, using her speed on the basepaths to score and cut the deficit to one. Moments later, Maura Wade delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 3–3.
Pitt.-Bradford regained the lead in the sixth, taking advantage of another error to go up 4–3. But La Roche refused to back down.
In the seventh inning, the Redhawks found another clutch moment. Katie Grimm came through with an RBI single to score Briana Wynn and even the game at 4–4, sending it into extra innings.
With momentum on their side, La Roche sealed the win in the eighth. Wade came around to score on a walk-off RBI single from Taylor Young, giving the Redhawks a 5–4 victory.
In the circle, La Roche used a trio of pitchers to secure the win. Klover Haberthier started and kept the game within reach, Taylor Young provided steady relief, and Wade closed the door in the final inning to earn the win.
Offensively, La Roche tallied eight hits, with Murgenovich and Ashlee Bair each recording multi-hit performances. Wade and Young each delivered key RBIs, while Grimm's late-game hit proved pivotal in forcing extra innings.