ST. DAVIDS, Pa. (March 30, 2017) – Senior Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) threw another shutout in the circle and scored the deciding run in leading the Widener University softball team to a 1-0 victory over Eastern in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. The Eagles rallied to win by a 9-8 decision earlier in the day to help salvage the split.
 
After dropping the opener in a game dominated by offense on both sides, the Pride got the only run they would need during the nightcap in the third inning of action. Horvath hit a leadoff single to the pitcher, stole second and third, and then came home on a groundout to third by Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.).
 
Eastern (3-11) tried to get the run back, but Horvath remained dominant in the circle for the remainder of the contest.  Widener's senior hurler only allowed the Eagles to advance one runner safely to second with the team clinging to a one-run lead, and the Pride were able to avenge the earlier setback and escape with the one-run victory.
 
Horvath, who blanked Stevenson this past Sunday, had another masterful performance in the circle and won her fifth consecutive start for Widener. She yielded just four hits, which were all singles, while recording two strikeouts and issuing only one walk to improve her ledger to 6-1 this spring. Eastern's Haleigh Williams was charged with the tough-luck loss and fell to 0-3 despite surrendering seven hits and one run, which was earned, over seven innings of work.
 
Widener burst out to an 8-0 lead in the opener and appeared to be in full control by scoring twice in the first and third frames as well as four times in the fourth. Junior Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.) reached on an error to drive in senior Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) for the first time and then came home on a single off the bat of classmate Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.) to get the offense going. Batting with two runners in scoring position, sophomore Liv Rogers (West Chester, Pa.) later completed the hot stretch by blasting a two-run triple to plate Sterling and DelRomano.
 
Eastern, however, stormed back with the heart of its order doing the damage. The Eagles most notably scored six times in the sixth inning and scored the go-ahead run on a Jess Snader single down the line in left.
 
The Pride had an opportunity to tie or take the lead by placing a pair of runners in scoring position with two outs in the seventh when Rogers advanced to third on a wild pitch and sophomore Amanda Sharp (Churchville, Pa.) moved ahead to second on a passed ball. Melissa Irick, however, induced a groundout on the next play to end the game.
 
Irick picked up the victory for Eastern and improved to 1-3 this spring. She allowed eight hits and only three earned runs while striking out four and issuing five walks. Widener's Katie Rabuck (Hegins, Pa.) suffered the loss and dropped her record to 5-2 by giving up three hits and an unearned run in thre and two-thirds innings of relief.
 
Widener (13-5), which has won 11 of its last 12 games, resumes conference play when it visits #9-ranked Messiah for a twinbill on Saturday, Apr. 1 beginning at 1:00 p.m.