CHESTER, Pa. (Apr. 23, 2015) – The Widener softball team continued its hot play as sophomore pitcher Alexis Schengrund (Hillsborough, N.J.) set a new high for strikeouts in a game with 18, leading her Pride to two one-run non-conference victories over Penn State Brandywine.  The Pride pulled out a marathon win in a nine-inning Game One, 12-11, and secured a 2-1 victory in the nightcap.

Widener's ninth-straight win brings its overall record to 22-4, while the two losses drop the Nittany Lions to 17-8 on the year.

In the matinee, the blue and gold held an 8-0 lead with four innings in the books.  The first run of the game came via a sacrifice fly by first baseman Carissa Harris (Douglassville, Pa.) that plated sophomore right fielder Nicole Burt (Staten Island, N.Y.) who led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single.  The Pride posted six runs in the third frame on a two-RBI base knock by Harris, an RBI single by freshman center fielder Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.), and a two-RBI single to left by sophomore third baseman Angela Hood (Mullica Twp., N.J.) and an error on the left fielder that allowed Hood  to come all the way around to score.

Sophomore Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) then extended the Widener lead to eight with a solo blast to right center on the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth inning.

After tacking on their first run of the game in the top of the fifth, the Nittany Lions grabbed a one-run advantage after plating eight runs in the sixth on seven hits and one Pride miscue.  The visitors took the lead in the next at bat on a two-run rountripper over the fence in left field by first baseman Katy Steffen.

A single up the middle by junior catcher Taylor Church (Glen Mills, Pa.) brought home junior shortstop Alie Alkins (Aston, Pa.) to knot the score at 9-9 after six innings of play.  With neither side able to push across a run in the final inning of regulation, the contest went into extras with the international tie-breaker rule in effect (last batted out of the previous inning gets placed on second to begin the extra frames).  This led to both sides scoring twice in their respective halves of the eighth, to once again tie the score, this time at 11-11.  With PSU Brandywine threatening in the top of the ninth with runners on second and third and no outs, Schengrund did what she needed to do to preserve the tie score by striking out the next three batters she faced, giving her squad the opportunity for the walk-off. After reaching on a fielder's choice, Sterling was able to scamper home from third on a wild pitch to secure the 12-11 win.

Schengrund improved to 11-1 in the circle, tossing 7.1 innings of six-hit, three-run (one earned), one-walk, 18-strikeout ball.  Eleven of the first 12 outs of the game came via the strikeout for the sophomore.  Horvath finished 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and three runs scored.

Game Two proved to be the complete opposite as a pitcher's duel ensued.  Harris once again knocked in the game's first run in the bottom of the first, this time with a single to left center plating Hood.  The Nittany Lions tied the score with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning, but Horvath helped her cause with a triple off the top of the fence in right field that brought home Hood for the eventual game winner.

Horvath commanded the circle for a complete-game six-hitter to move to 9-3 on the year on the rubber.  She surrendered just one run and two walks while also fanning a new career-high with eight.  Hood and Horvath each registered two hits in the nightcap, while Hood scored both runs for Widener.

Next up for the Pride is a trip to Grantham, Pa. where they will take on Messiah for a chance at the top-seed in the upcoming Commonwealth Championships.  The twinbill is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 25.