CHESTER, Pa. (March 16, 2016) – Junior Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) went 3-for-5 and scored the game-winning run to propel the Widener University softball team to a 3-2 victory over Hood in the first game of a twinbill on Wednesday evening in Chester. The Blazers salvaged a split by earning a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
 
The opener was a 10-inning marathon with a classic pitcher's duel between Widener's Alexis Schengrund (Hillsborough, N.J.) and Hood's Kayli Paugh. With Schengrund in the process of throwing a perfect game at the time by retiring the first 18 batters she faced, Widener had the first major chance of either team to score during the bottom of the sixth.
 
After Horvath registered a leadoff single and stole second, the junior was sacrificed over to third by Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.) to move 60 feet away of putting the Pride ahead. Paugh, however, induced two groundouts to get out of the jam.
 
Hood earned life in the top of the seventh when Kaylee Krietz singled through the left side on the first play to break up Schengrund's perfect game. A double two batters later put two runners in the scoring position, but Widener's ace got out of trouble by registering a strikeout and inducing a lineout to keep the game scoreless.
 
Following two more scoreless frames and the international tiebreaker rule going into effect, Hood was able to score first in the top of the 10th frame when Kristy Erfurdt went yard to left field to make it 2-0. Sophia Leaman, who was placed on second base to start the inning, also scored on the play.
 
Widener, however, never gave up and never gave in. Sophomore Taylor Allen (Northeast, Md.) belted a leadoff single through the left side, placing runners on the corners, and Horvath singled two plays later to keep the rally going with just one out. DelRomano then singled home another run to tie the game at 2-all, and the speedy Horvath was able to come home safely from third on a wild pitch to give the Pride the walkoff win.
 
Schengrund earned the victory for Widener and improved her record to a perfect 4-0. She registered a season-high 16 strikeouts while yielding just three hits and two runs, including one earned, while not issuing a walk. Paugh suffered the tough loss and dropped to 2-2 after giving up nine hits and three runs, including two earned, and fanning three.
 
Hood (4-4, MAC Commonwealth 3-1) bounced back in the second game and got its offense going early and often after starting off the afternoon as cold as ice. Leaman, who earned the start in the circle, helped herself by doubling to left center and then came home on another two-bagger by Ashley Fourcade. The Blazers' third double of the inning plated Erfurdt, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead in the first, and a two-run double by Jess Sedgwick doubled the margin in the third.
 
After Widener sliced the deficit in half in the bottom half of the third inning, Hood quickly regained its four-run lead by scoring twice in the fourth. The Pride once again made it a two-run game when sophomore Katie Sterling (Midddletown, Del.) blasted a two-run homer to left, but the hosts would come no closer the rest of the way. With Widener looking to rally from a two-run deficit and win in walkoff fashion for the second consecutive game, Leaman stayed in control and retired the Pride in order to close out the game.
 
Leaman went the distance in the circle for Hood and picked up the victory to improve to 2-1 on the season by giving up seven hits and four runs, which were all earned, and striking out two. Horvath took the loss for Widener and fell to 0-2 after surrendering eight hits and four runs, which were all earned, over 2.2 frames.
 
Widener (6-2, MAC Commonwealth 1-1) continues conference play when it visits Lebanon Valley for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 19 at 1:00 p.m.