JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (April 9) – The Vulcans scored a combined 23 runs on Tuesday afternoon while earning a doubleheader sweep at Pitt-Johnstown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play, winning 6-0 in Game 1 before tallying a 17-9 run-rule victory in Game 2.
RECORDS/SERIES
• The California (PA) softball team improves to 11-10 this season with a 9-4 mark in league action.
• The Mountain Cats fall to 5-17 overall behind a 2-8 record in divisional play.
• The Vulcans swept a road doubleheader against the Mountain Cats for the first in series history, as the UPJ began playing softball in the 2015 campaign.
GAME 1
STATS
• Junior
Caleigh Rister (6-5) registered a complete-game shutout and set a season high with nine strikeouts.
• She scattered five hits and issued one walk over 7.0 innings at UPJ.
• Rister also tallied a pair of hits while hitting cleanup for the first time in her career, highlighted by a three-run homer.
• Sophomore right fielder
Mikayla Linkous added two hits and two RBI in the win.
• Senior third baseman
Shayna Postler and junior left fielder
Carlena Fiorilli both posted a pair of hits and scored one run.
ACTION
• The Vulcans jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first behind a three-run homer by Rister and a two-out RBI single by Linkous.
• Linkous posted another RBI single in the third before senior second baseman
Jordan Pinneri scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
• UPJ stranded six runners on base, including three in scoring position, as Rister retired 11 of the last 13 batters she faced.
GAME 2
STATS
• The Vulcans scored their most runs in a game since March of 2018.
• Fiorilli finished with four hits, including a solo homer, five RBI and four runs scored, while Pinneri totaled three hits, three RBI and two runs scored.
• Junior
Kaitlyn Achtermeier collected two hits with a three-run homer and five RBI, while junior shortstop
Brianna Sersevic posted two hits, one RBI, three runs scored and one walk.
• Achtermeier (1-0) also earned her first career victory after working 2.1 innings of relief after starting the game at first base.
• Rister, who posted two hits and one run scored at the plate, logged the final 2.0 innings in the victory.
ACTION
• Cal took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Fiorilli in the first inning before scoring four runs in the top of the second.
• Linkous posted an RBI double before Fiorilli and Achtermeier later delivered back-to-back, two-run doubles with two outs.
• The Mountain Cats answered with six runs, including back-to-back homers, off a trio of pitchers in the bottom of the second to take a 6-4 lead.
• UPJ stranded the bases loaded in the third inning before Cal scored seven runs in the fifth on six hits and three errors.
• Postler delivered a two-run double and Sersevic later lined an RBI single.
• Pinneri followed with an RBI double before Fiorilli collected a two-run single and later scored on an error.
• The Mountain Cats tallied three runs in the bottom of the fifth before the Vulcans forced the run-rule victory by scoring five runs with two outs in the sixth.
• Pinneri tallied a two-run single and Achtermeier later belted a three-run homer.
NEXT
• Cal continues PSAC West action tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10, when it hosts Seton Hill for a doubleheader at Lilley Field, starting at 2:30 p.m.
