Softball | 3/6/2017 4:47:00 PM

Boxscore 1 | Boxscore 2 KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 6, 2017) – Senior Devin Coyne (Chesapeake, Va.) went the distance in the circle and junior Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.) drove in three runs to lead the Widener University softball team to a 9-1 victory over Beloit in six innings at the Rebel Spring Games on Monday afternoon. The Pride also dropped a 7-0 decision to Aurora earlier in the day.
 
Beloit (1-3) got on the board first in the opening inning of the later game when Erica Stalo came home on a throwing error while her teammate was attempting to steal second. The Pride, however, answered back by scoring at least once in every frame.
 
Senior Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) scored the equalizing run on a Sterling RBI single in the bottom of the first and then plated the go-ahead tally on a sacrifice fly to right which sent in sophomore Liv Rogers (West Chester, Pa.) during the bottom of the second.
 
Widener, which carried a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth, then broke the game open when Sterling blasted an RBI triple to score classmate Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.) and freshman Jamie Gosselin (Abington, Pa.). Sterling made it home on a successful bunt single by junior Taylor Allen (North East, Md.), and scored again on a fielder's choice to end the game in the sixth due to the eight-run rule.
 
Coyne was masterful in her season debut for Widener by allowing only one run, which was unearned, and two hits which were singles. She also struck out five opposing batters. Beloit's Alyssa Boltik was charged with the loss after giving up three hits and three runs, which were all earned, over 1.1 innings of work.
 
Earlier in the day, Widener threatened to draw first blood against Aurora (3-0) by placing runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the first inning. Pitcher Kaylee Hayton, however, got out of the jam by inducing a popup for the third out.
 
With Hayton gaining control of the circle, Aurora broke through by scoring twice in the fourth frame courtesy of a two-run triple to right by Taylor Moore. The Spartans then tacked on five runs in the fifth by capitalizing on two Widener errors as well as several other defensive miscues, and the Pride would never recover.
 
Hayton hurled a shutout in the circle to earn the win for Aurora, which is coming off a successful 2016 campaign in which it advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning 32 games. She yielded only two hits, fanned seven and issued three walks. Senior Alexis Schengrund (Hillsborough, N.J.) of Widener was dealt the setback after surrendering six hits and seven runs, including four earned, while striking out four over five frames.
 
Widener (1-1) will continue competing at the Rebel Spring Games tomorrow when it faces Muskingum at 9:00 a.m. and Lakeland at 11:15 a.m.