Penn State New Kensington’s softball team heads to central Pennsylvania this weekend for conference doubleheader at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9, against Penn College in Williamsport, Pa. Penn College, 4-6 overall, has been plagued by bad weather and is looking to open its conference schedule.
The New Kensington Lady Lions also have had more than their share of inclement weather. The combination of winter snow and spring rain has wreaked havoc on practice and the games. Nine games have been postponed or cancelled in the last two weeks. The Penn State University Athletic Conference home doubleheaders on April 5 with Penn State Beaver and April 2 versus Penn State Mont Alto were postponed. The Beaver game is rescheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, and the Mont Alto game will be announced.
However, due to a short window of clement weather on April 3, coach Mike Marsilli’s team finally played its first home game of the season at Wolf Pack Park. After three false starts, and two month of indoor drills, the New Kensington Lady Lions appeared in mid-season form, with doubleheader shutouts of previously undefeated Penn State Schuylkill, 5-0 and 12-0. Freshmen pitchers Jenna Swank (Ford City) and Bridget Fisher (Burrell), backed by solid defense, picked up their first collegiate wins as the New Kensington Lady Lions improved to 2-0 in the PSUAC and 2-1 overall. The victories moved the team to the top of the PSUAC standings.
In the opener, Swank, 1-1 on the year, tossed a two-hitter while the offense broke up a tight game with a four–run fifth inning. A double by senior catcher Candis Downey (South Brunswick, NJ) and a triple by sophomore leftfielder Amy Wengrzyn (Franklin Regional) highlighted the outburst.
In the nightcap, Fisher matched Swank’s two-hitter, and was the recipient of a 10-hit attack that was led by Wengrzyn’s first home run of the season. Wengrzyn topped the squad a year ago with two round-trippers and 17 runs batted in.
The New Kensington Lady Lions return home for a pair of make-up contests with Beaver at Wolf Pack Park before hosting Penn State Greater Allegheny at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13, for a PSUAC doubleheader.
For the softball roster, schedule, prospectus and a weather forecast, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/43449.htm online.