GLENSIDE, Pa. - Stevenson softball senior Molly Hoyt had her second three-hit game of the season as the Mustangs battled Arcadia to a MAC Commonwealth split, a 1-0 loss and 2-0 win, Saturday afternoon at Blankley Field.
The Mustangs (12-18, 6-6 MAC Commonwealth) sit a game and a half out of playoff contention with a .500 record with two conference doubleheaders remaining. Stevenson still has to face first place Messiah and third place Albright.
The opening game was a defensive battle as the two times combined for 11 hits and the one run, which came on a passed ball in the bottom of the seventh inning. Stevenson finished 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position while the Knights (15-15, 4-8 MAC Commonwealth) were 1-for-3.
The hosts drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the seventh before advancing the runner with a sacrifice bunt. Tori Zaccaria, a pinch hitter, hit a single up the middle to move Kayla Resh to third for just the second base runner to advance to third for the Knights.
Resh came around to score the walk off run on passed ball with one out.
Defensively, the Mustangs did not commit an error for the second consecutive game after posting at least one error in 15 straight games. The team is 3-3 when posting a perfect fielding percentage.
In the pitching circle, sophomore Brooke Steinbach allowed just six hits in the loss while allow no earned runs and striking out two.
Hoyt extended her hitting streak to six in game two, going 3-for-3 at the plate. The visitors scored two sixth inning runs while sophomore Jasmyn Ogletree scattered just five hits in her first shutout of the season.
An RBI triple by senior Kristen Mueller broke a scoreless tie before classmate Emily Soller scored Mueller on a groundout to shortstop.
Trailing by two, the Knights hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh and had runners on first and second with two out. But Ogletree got the final batter to groundout to earn her fifth career shutout.
After playing five doubleheaders in seven days, Stevenson will have a seven-day break before traveling to Messiah to a key MAC Commonwealth doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
