CALIFORNIA (April 20) – Junior first baseman
Lindsay Reicoff (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) tied and broke the single-season school record for homers in Game 2 on Monday afternoon, as the No. 18 California University of Pennsylvania softball swept a doubleheader against IUP at Lilley Field in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action, claiming an 11-0 run-rule win in Game 1 and a 7-1 victory in Game 2.
With the sweep, the Vulcans improve to 22-9 overall with a 16-5 mark in divisional play. Cal U sits second in the PSAC West standings in both league wins and league winning percentage (.762). Meanwhile, IUP falls to 12-16 this season behind a 10-8 record in PSAC West play.
Reicoff belted a pair of solo homers in Game 2 to become the first player in program history with 15 homers in a season. The mark of 14 longballs was previously reached five times, including three-straight years from 2011-13. She also moved into a tie with
Kristin Heslop (1999-02) for second place all-time in school history with 38 homers. A product of Chartiers Valley, Reicoff has posted at least 10 homers in each season of her career and is averaging one homer every 5.7 at-bats this season.
In Game 1, junior
Alex Sagl (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalgar) improved to 12-4 this season following a two-hit, complete-game shutout. She registered eight strikeouts over 5.0 innings (69 pitches) and forced IUP to leave four runners on base, including three in scoring position. IUP starter Alexa Campbell (7-8) suffered the loss after allowing eight runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks in 3.0 innings (62 pitches).
Cal U took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by senior center fielder
Shelby Heyd (Innisfil, Ontario/Nantyr Shores Secondary) and Reicoff also scored on the play via a throwing error. The Crimson Hawks left a pair of runners in scoring position in the second before the Vulcans added three runs in the bottom half of the inning. With a runner on first and two outs, sophomore right fielder
Kaity Finley (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) reached on a fielding error before freshman shortstop
Emily Price (Warren, Ohio/Howland) followed with a three-run homer, her fifth of the year.
In the third, IUP again left a runner in scoring position before Cal U stretched its lead to 8-0 in the bottom half. Freshman designated player
Hailey Wilson (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy) delivered an RBI double to right center before another run scored on a ground-out. Junior second baseman
Erica Vallecorsa (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) then collected a two-out RBI single that scored Wilson from second. The Vulcans again scored three runs in the fourth inning when junior third baseman
Natalya Smarra (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) belted a three-run homer, her second of the year, to left center.
Smarra went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and two runs scored, while Price finished 2-for-2 with a three-run homer. Finley and Reicoff both scored twice in the victory.
In Game 2, the Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single by Smarra before the Crimson Hawks tied the score in second. Cal U reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning with Finley lining an RBI triple to right center before scoring on a single by Reicoff, both with two outs.
Vallecorsa led off the fourth inning with a solo homer, her first in nearly two years, before Reicoff tied the single-season school record later in the inning with a solo homer. Freshman left fielder
Jacquelyn Fowler (Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing) opened the fifth with a solo homer to stretch the lead to 6-1 before Reicoff set the single-season school mark with a solo homer in the sixth.
Junior
Meghan Uher (Acme, Pa./Connellsville) improved to 8-1 this year after yielding one run (earned) on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings (81 pitches). Sophomore
Kaity Davis (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) scattered two hits over a scoreless 2.2 innings of relief to record her first career save. IUP sophomore Amanda Spindler (3-8) was saddled with the loss after surrendering seven runs (all earned) on 13 hits and two walks in 6.0 innings (134 pitches).
Reicoff went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers, three RBI and three runs scored, while Heyd finished with three hits. Smarra finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and Vallecorsa scored twice in the win.
Cal U returns to action tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21, when it travels to play a doubleheader against Mercyhurst in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 2:30 p.m.
