2008 Softball Game Stories

April 30, 2008: DeSales 8, Albright 0; DeSales 9, Albright 1

Center Valley, PA - Albright closed out the 2008 season with two losses to DeSales Wednesday afternoon in Center Valley.  The Lady Lions finish the season with a record of 10-28, while the Bulldogs are 24-12 heading into the Freedom Conference tournament. 

In the opener, DeSales scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead.  The Bulldogs increased their lead to 5-0 with a pair of runs in the third, then brought the game to an end with three more runs in the fifth to make the score 8-0 and invoke the eight-run mercy rule.  Albright was able to scratch out just three hits against Bulldog hurler Kristen Cybularz in the game, getting one each from Alex Keyes, Olivia Miller, and Megan Keohane.  Dana Parolari suffered the loss in the circle for the Lady Lions.  Game two saw Albright jump on top early, as Keyes belted a one-out triple to score Stevie Crouse, who had drawn a lead-off walk. The Lady Lions took their 1-0 lead to the bottom of the second, but DeSales erupted for seven runs in the inning for a 7-1 lead.  The Bulldogs added two more runs in the fourth and kept Albright off the scoreboard the rest of the way to take the 9-1 win.  Mary Dwyer took the loss for Albright, while Tara McMurtrie added a double on offense.

 

April 27, 2008: FDU-Florham 8, Albright 3; FDU-Florham 10, Albright 0

Madison, NJ - Albright suffered a sweep at the hands of FDU-Florham Sunday afternoon, losing game one 8-3 before dropping game two 10-0 in five innings. 

Albright scored first in the opener, as Stevie Crouse's sacrifice fly scored Mary Dwyer with the game's first run in the top of the second inning. Albright added to its lead in the third, as Alex Keyes led off with a double and scored one out later on an RBI single from Gloria Alfonsi to give the Lady Lions a 2-0 lead. FDU cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the third, then took its first lead of the day with a three-run fourth inning. The Lady Lions pulled within 4-3 in the fifth, when Tara McMurtrie doubled to score Kelli Johnson. That would be as close as Albright would get, however, as the Devils pushed across a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull away for the 8-3 win.  Keyes and Alfonsi each had two hits for Albright in the game, while Dana Parolari took the loss in the circle after allowing seven earned runs in six innings of work while striking out three.

In game two the host Devils jumped all over Albright, scoring five times in the first and adding four more in the second to take control of the game early. Another run in the third gave FDU a 10-0 lead, and with Crouse's one-out single in the third being the only hit in the game for the Lady Lions, the Devils finished off the 10-0 win after five innings of play.

Albright will close the 2008 season on Wednesday with a non-conference doubleheader at DeSales. Game time is set for 3:00.

April 23, 2008: Ursinus 4, Albright 0; Ursinus 10, Albright 1

Collegeville, PA - Ursinus swept a non-conference doubleheader from Albright Wednesday afternoon, taking game one 4-0 and game two 10-1 in five innings. 

The host Bears (27-8) took advantage of an outstanding pitching performance in game one, as Albright (10-24) managed just three hits in the contest.  Ursinus scored three times in the bottom of the second, using three hits and a Lady Lion error to forge a 3-0 lead.  The Bears added a run in the third to hold a 4-0 edge, but Albright looked to stage a rally in the top of the fifth.  Gloria Alfonsi led off the inning with a single, and Olivia Miller followed with a safety of her own to put runners on first and second with no one out.  The Lady Lions were unable to capitalize, however, as the next three hitters struck out to end the threat.  There would be no more scoring in the game from that point on as Ursinus collected the win in game one.  Dana Parolari pitched well for Albright but suffered the loss to fall to 2-9 on the season.  She allowed just three earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

After being shut out in the opener, Albright wasted no time getting on the board in game two.  Stevie Crouse led off with a single, and scored one-out later when Alex Keyes tripled.  Ursinus would strand Keyes at third, and Albright had a 1-0 lead after a half an inning.  Ursinus tied the game at one in the bottom of the first, then tacked on four runs in the second for a 5-1 lead.  Ursinus put the game out of reach with five runs in the fourth, and with Albright's offense unable to match its first-inning success, the game was ended after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.  Keyes and Kelli Johnson each had a pair of hits for the Lady Lions, while Mary Dwyer took the loss in the circle.

April 22, 2008: Albright 7, F&M 5; F&M 18, Albright 6

Reading, PA - Albright split its final home doubleheader of the 2008 season on Tuesday, topping F&M 7-5 in the opener, then falling 18-6 in game two.  The Lady Lions are now 10-22 on the season, while the Diplomats sit at 9-19.

Albright wasted no time in jumping in front in game one, and made a little history in the process. Stevie Crouse led off with a walk, and one out later Alex Keyes belted a two-run home run to give Albright a 2-0 lead.  The home run is the 10th of the season for Keyes and the 20th of her career, both setting school records. Olivia Miller's two-out RBI single gave the Lady Lions a 3-0 lead after one. F&M got two runs back on a Robyn Jones two-run bomb in the third, but Mary Dwyer came on in relief of Dana Parolari and slowed the Diplomat bats until Albright could get its offense untracked again. That happened in the fifth, when the Lady Lions erupted for four runs.  Tara McMurtrie had a bases loaded single to score a pair of runs, and Gloria Alfonsi drilled a two-run double to put Albright on top 7-2 heading to the sixth.  F&M did not go away, scoring three runs in the sixth to cut the Albright lead to two at 7-5, but Dwyer was able to close out the Diplomats in the seventh to nail down her second win of the season. Keyes led the Albright offense, going 2-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's, highlighted by her record-setting home run.

F&M would score first in game two, getting a pair of runs in the second and adding three more in the third.  Three more runs in the top of the fourth gave the visitors an 8-0 advantage before Albright got the bats going in the bottom of the frame.  Keyes was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, and one out later Alfonsi ripped a home run for Albright's first two runs of the game.  Another run on a double steal sent the game to the fifth with the Lady Lions trailing by five, 8-3.  Each team scored a run in the sixth, with Albright getting a two-out RBI single from Melane Chapman to score McMurtrie.  F&M would blow the game wide open in the seventh. The Diplomats' first nine batters all reached base safely and would eventually score as F&M sent 14 hitters to the plate in the inning and scored nine runs to led 18-6.  Crouse and Kelli Johnson drilled back-to-back home runs to open the home half of the seventh inning, but it was not nearly enough as the Diplomats salvaged the doubleheader split. McMurtrie led the Lady Lions with a pair of hits in the game, while Parolari suffered the loss in the circle.

April 19, 2008: Albright 3, Messiah 0; Messiah 9, Albright 1

Albright split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader at Messiah on Saturday, winning the opener 3-0 behind the shutout pitching of freshman Dana Parolari before falling in the nightcap 9-1.  The Lady Lions (9-21) finish their conference slate with a record of 3-7, while the Falcons (19-15) are 4-4 with two games left to play.

Parolari was the story in game one, as she tossed a three-hit gem for her fist career shutout.  The Lady Lions got all the runs they would need in the top of the first, as Stevie Crouse led off with a double and scored two batters later on Alex Keyes’ two run home run.  The bomb is the eighth of the season for the junior, tying her own school single-season home run record she set last spring. That would prove to be planty of support for Parolari, who did not allow a Falcon runner past second base in the game.  After allowing a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth, she retired the last 11 batters she faced to slam the door on Messiah.  Albright tacked on its final run in the top of the seventh, when Kelli Johnson doubled, went to third on a passed ball, and then scored on another passed ball.  Parolari strouck out three in the game and walked just one to improve to 2-6 on the season.

Keyes staked Albright to a 1-0 lead in game two, drilling her school-record ninth home run of the season.  She also holds the career home run record with 19.  Parolari started game two for Albright looking to continue her strong run, but had no such luck.  The first four Falcon batters singled, bring home two runs, and then Amy Bowie hit a three-run home run to give Messiah a 5-0 lead.  Mary Dwyer replaced Parolari in the circle and escaped the inning without further damage, but three more Messiah runs in the second put the Lady Lions in an 8-1 hole.  Albright struggled to muster and offense against Jessica Climenhaga, as the Keyes home run in the first would be their only hit of the game.  Messiah scored one more run in the sixth for the final score of 9-1.

April 7, 2008: Alvernia 7, Albright 4 Box Score; Alvernia 13, Albright 5 (5)Box Score

Reading, PA - Albright dropped both ends if a non-conference doubleheader to Alvernia Monday afternoon, losing game one 7-4 and then falling 13-5 in game two. The Lady Lions are now 6-16 on the season, while the Crusaders improve to 17-6.

Alvernia took and early lead in the opener, scoring twice in the top of the first for a quick 2-0 lead. The lead didn't last long, however, as Albright answered in the bottom half of the inning. Stevie Crouse walked to lead off the inning, and Kelli Johnson followed with a single. Alex Keyes then unloaded with a three-run home run, her fourth of the season, to give Albright a 3-2 lead. Alvernia tied the game with a run in the top of the third, then took the lead with two in the fourth. Albright's offense struggled after the first inning, as the Lady Lions managed just two hits over the next five innings. Samantha Geisinger drilled a two-run home run for the Crusaders in the top of the fifth to increase the Alvernia lead to 7-3, but the Lady Lions were not done yet. Still trailing by four heading to the bottom of the seventh, Haley Todd led off the inning with a base hit. One out later Olivia Miller singled and moved to second on the throw as Ashley Rourke, who reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to third. Crouse drove in Rourke with an RBI ground out to make the score 7-4, but that would be all for the Lady Lions as Alvernia got the final out to close out the game. Dana Parolari took the loss for Albright, falling to 0-4 on the season, after allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits in four innings of work. Michelle Johnson was the winning pitcher for the Crusaders.

In game two, Alvernia again took an early lead with an unearned run in the first. Crouse quickly evened the score in the bottom of the first, as she led off with a home run to tie the score at one. Alvernia took the lead for good in the second, using three hits and two costly Albright errors to score four runs and take a 5-1 lead. The Crusaders added three in the top of the third, then put the game away with a five-run fifth. Michelle Kassab hit a three-run home run in the inning, and Jackie Rhodes added a solo shot for the Crusaders. Trailing 13-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth, Albright still had some fight. The Lady Lions loaded the bases with two outs, and Ally Wenrich proceeded to clear them, nailing a grand slam home run to make the score 13-5. Trying to keep the game alive and avoid the eight-run rule, Albright put two more runners on base in the inning, but Alvernia managed to get the final out and finish the game 13-5. Mary Dwyer suffered the loss in the circle for the Lady Lions, while Emily Williams collected the win for Alvernia.

April 6, 2008: Elizabethtown 6, Albright 5 Box Score; Elizabethtown 10, Albright 0 (5)Box Score

Reading, PA - Elizabethtown swept a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader from Albright Sunday afternoon, winning the first game 6-5 and taking the second game 10-0 in five innings.

Kelsea Corrado's two-run home run in the top of the first staked Etown to a 2-0 lead in game one. The Lady Lions got one back in the bottom of the third when Stevie Crouse tripled with two outs to score Haley Todd, who had doubled. Etown put up four runs in the fifth, getting a grand slam home run off the bat of Sarah Church, to take a 6-1 lead. Albright had an answer, thanks once again to Crouse. Gloria Alfonsi led off with a walk, and two outs later, Tara McMurtrie also drew a walk to bring Crouse to the plate. She responded by crushing a three-run home run to draw the Lady Lions within two, 6-4. That would be the score heading in the bottom of the seventh, when Albright looked for one more rally. Crouse doubled with one out, and scored an out later on an Alex Keyes RBI single to make the score 6-5. That's as close as Albright would get, however, as Alex Lee got the final out for Etown to collect her sixth win of the season. Ally Wenrich took the loss for the Lady Lions to fall to 3-4 on the year. Crouse was 3-4 on the day and was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle. She scored two runs and drove in four in the game.

Game two started poorly for Albright as the Blue Jays used two hits, two walks, and an Albright error to score three times. Etown added five more runs in the second inning, which was highlighted by a Corrado three-run home run. Two more runs in the top of the third gave the Blue Jays a 10-0 lead. Albright struggled at the plate in the second game managing just three hits as the game ended after five innings due to the eight run rule. Becky Moist suffered the loss in the circle for Albright, putting her record at 3-4 for the season. Lee picked up her second win of the day for Etown.

April 3, 2008: Moravian 3, Albright 0 Box Score; Moravian 9, Albright 0 (5)Box Score

Reading, PA - Albright dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Moravian Thursday afternoon on North Hall Field, losing game one 3-0 and game two 9-0 in five innings. The Lady Lions are now 6-12 on the season, while Moravian improves to 13-5.

Albright ran into a buzz saw in Greyhound pitcher Maria DeBonis in game one. DeBonis did not allow a base runner in the game, facing the minimum 21 batters in twirling her second perfect game of the season. DeBonis struck out 10 Lady Lions in her gem. Moravian scored once in the top of the first to take an early lead, then added two insurance runs in the sixth off Lady Lion hurler Dana Parolari. Parolari turned in a strong effort, allowing just two earned runs on eight hits in a complete game, but she took the loss to fall to 0-3 on the season.

Game two was not much better for the host Lady Lions. The Greyhounds took an early lead with a two-run first, then added another run in the top of the third for a 3-0 lead. Albright was not faring much better against the second Moravian pitcher of the day, Elizabeth Python, as the Lady Lions went down in order through the first three innings. Moravian broke the game open in the fourth, scoring six times on four hits and two walks. Albright got its first base runner of the day in the fourth, when Stevie Crouse dropped a bunt and was safe when the first baseman bobbled the throw on a bang-bang play that was initially ruled a base hit. That would be the only runner of the day for Albright, however, as the Lady Lions couldn't muster any offense and the game ended 9-0 after five innings. Mary Dwyer took the loss in the circle for Albright, allowing four runs, all earned, in three innings of work.

March 29, 2008: Lebanon Valley 10, Albright 3 Box Score; Lebanon Valley 6, Albright 5 Box Score

Annville, PA - Lebanon Valley swept Albright in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon, winning game one 10-3 and rallying to take the nightcap 6-5.

LVC scored once in the bottom of the first for an early lead in game one, but Albright answered right back in the second. With two outs and no one one, three straight Lady Lions drew walks, setting up an RBI single from Kelli Johnson. The Dutchmen blew the game open in the second, sending 11 hitters to the plate while scoring seven runs to lead 8-1. LVC had seven hits in the inning, and took advantage of two Albright errors. Two more runs in the fourth gave Lebanon Valley a 10-1 lead. Albright got two back in the fifth on Alex Keyes' two-run single, but got no closer as the host Dutchmen took the opener. Keyes led Albright at the plate with a 3-4 game. Becky Moist suffered the loss in the circle for Albright to fall to 3-3 on the season.

Lebanon Valley grabbed an early lead in game two, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. The score stayed 2-0 until the fifth inning, when the Lady Lions exploded in a five-run inning. Olivia Miller led off with a single, and after an out, went to second when Tara McMurtire walked. A double-steal put the runners in scoring position, and Miller would then score when the LVC centerfielder misplayed Stevie Crouse's ball. McMurtrie later scored on a wild pitch, and Crouse came in on an Ally Wenrich sacrifice fly to put Albright on top 3-2. Gloria Alfonsi brought home the fourth run of the inning with a single, and Miller's bases loaded walk scored Keyes with the inning's final run. Lebanon Valley went down in order in the fifth, but scored four times in the sixth to retake the lead at 6-5. Albright went down in order in the seventh as LVC escaped with the sweep. Wenrich took the loss for Albright, allowing six earned runs on nine hits in six innings of work. Crouse was 2-4 with a run and an RBI to lead the Lady Lion attack.

March 21, 2008: SUNY-Potsdam 6, Albright 2; Albright 14, Roger Williams 13

Ft. Myers, FL - In the final day of competition for Albright at the 2008 Gene Cusic Classic, the Lady Lions fell to SUNY-Potsdam 6-2 in the morning, but rallied for a wild 14-13 win over Roger Williams in the second game of the day. Albright heads home with a record of 4-6 for the trip and 6-8 overall.

Potsdam scored first in the opener, picking up a run in the top of the second inning. Albright took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Danielle Perlin and Melane Chapman walked with one out, and after a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Haley Todd laced a double to score both Perlin and Chapman. Albright's lead didn't last for long, as Potsdam responded with three runs of Lady Lion starter Mary Dwyer in the top of the third. Two more runs in the fourth gave Potsdam a 6-2 lead, and Albright would get just one more hit after the second inning as Potsdam cruised to the win. Dwyer took to loss for Albright in the circle.

The final game of the tournament was yet another back and forth, come from behind affair. Roger Williams scored twice in the top of the first, but Albright was able to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning. Alex Keyes drilled a two-out triple, and scored on an Ally Wenrich single to get the Lady Lions on the board. Things didn't look good for Albright when Roger Williams plated a run in the second and put up five in the third to hold an 8-1 lead. Albright got a couple of runs back in the bottom of the third when Stevie Crouse walked to lead off the inning and Kelli Johnson then blasted a home run to pull the Lady Lions within 8-3. Roger Williams again put up a run in the fourth to make the score 9-3, but Albright's comeback was starting to kick into high gear. Albright scored three times in the fourth on RBI singles from Crouse and Wenrich and a fielders choice by Tara McMurtrie. Leading 9-6 heading into the fifth inning, Roger Williams scored two more times to increase its lead to 11-6. Williams was about to fall apart, however, and the Lady Lions were more than ready to take advantage. Albright took advantage of four errors in the inning and got a huge three-run home run from Keyes in the middle of a seven run inning. When the dust settled the Lady Lions were in the lead for the first time in the game, 13-11. Roger Williams came right back, again scoring two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 13. When Albright failed to score in its half of the sixth, the game moved to the seventh inning still knotted at 13. After scoring at least one run in each of the first six innings, Roger Williams failed to score in the seventh, and Albright took advantage. With two outs and Gloria Alfonsi on second base, Olivia Miller reached base safely on a throwing error by the second baseman. That error allowed Alfonsi to score the game-winning run as Albright prevailed 14-13. Wenrich led a 13-hit Albright attack with a 4-5 day, while Keyes was 2-5 with a triple, a home run, and three RBI's. Becky Moist picked up the win for Albright, her second of the season, with two innings of three-hit work in relief of Dana Parolari.

March 20, 2008: Southern Maine 14, Albright 5; Albright 6, Roger Williams 5

Ft. Myers, FL - Southern Maine scored nine runs in the sixth inning to blow open a close game and beat Albright 14-5 Thursday morning, but the Lady Lions rallied to knock off Roger Williams 6-5 later Thursday afternoon. Albright is now 5-7 on the season.

In Thursday's first game, the first two innings were scoreless before Albright got going in the third. The Lady Lions scored three times in the inning, getting RBI singles from Kelli Johnson and Ally Wenrich and a sacrifice fly from Alex Keyes to take a 3-0 lead. Southern Maine got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth, when a costly two-out Albright error allowed two runs to score. Johnson led off the fifth for Albright with a single, and would eventually score on a Wenrich sacrifice fly to give Albright a 4-2 lead. Southern Maine would take the lead in the bottom half of the fifth, using three hits and another Albright error to score three times and hold a 5-4 advantage. Once again Albright had an answer, as Gloria Alfonsi reached on an error to open the top of the sixth. A sacrifice moved Alfonsi to second, and with two outs, Tara McMurtrie delivered a clutch single to plate Alfonsi with the tying run. Albright's luck ran out in the bottom of the sixth, however. Southern Maine exploded for nine runs on 11 hits in the inning, bringing the game to an early conclusion via the eight-run rule. Dana Parolari took the loss for Albright, falling to 0-3 on the season. Johnson and Wenrich each had two hits at the plate for the Lady Lions.

Game two saw Roger Williams claim a 3-0 lead through two and a half innings, scoring once in the second and twice in the third. Albright got going in its half of the third, as McMurtrie opened the inning with a single and advance all the way to third after an error by the right fielder. Stevie Crouse drew a walk to put runners on the corners, and then Albright executed a double steal, with McMurtrie scoring the first run of the game for the Lady Lions. Crouse was thrown out at third on the play, but the inning was far from over. Johnson was up next and singled, and Keyes followed with a two-run home run that evened the score at three. Albright took a 4-3 lead in the fourth when two two-out walks and a Crouse RBI double plated the go-ahead run. Roger Williams jumped back in front in the top of the fifth, getting a leadoff home run from LeEllen Lewis to spur a two-run inning and take a 5-4 lead. The Lady Lions continued to battle, this time getting a big two-out single from Olivia Miller to score Ally Wenrich and tie the game at five after five innings of play. Albright took the lead for good in the sixth, when a Keyes sacrifice fly scored McMurtrie with the go-ahead run. Becky Moist, in her second inning of work in relief of Wenrich, set Roger Williams down in the seventh to secure the win. Moist allowed just one walk and struck out two in her two innings of work while improving her record to 2-2 on the season. Keyes had a big game at the plate, going 3-3 with three RBI's and the home run, her second of the season. McMurtrie and Miller each had a pair of hits for the Lady Lions.

March 18, 2008: Carroll 4, Albright 3; Concordia 7, Albright 5

Ft. Myers, FL - Albright lost two close games on the third day of the Gene Cusic Classic Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Lions' seventh inning rally in the opener fell just short as Carroll held on for a 4-3 win. In the second game of the day, Albright scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game at five, only to see Concordia put up two in the bottom of the inning to win 7-5.

Albright took an early lead in the Carroll game when Kelli Johnson doubled and scored on an Alex Keyes single in the top of the first. Carroll took the lead with two unearned runs in the bottom of the third, then added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-1 lead into the final frame. The Lady Lions opened the top of the seventh with two Carroll errors and a walk to bring in a run and put runners on first and second. Stevie Crouse then walked to load the bases, putting the tying run on second base. After a popup for the first out, Keyes grounded out to short, scoring Olivia Miller to pull the Lady Lions within one at 4-3. With the tying run on third base and two outs, Albright was unable to complete the rally and Carroll escaped with the one-run win. Albright out-hit Carroll 7-3 in the game, but committed five errors, as two of Carroll's four runs were unearned. Mary Dwyer took the hard luck loss in the circle for Albright. Johnson and Keyes each had two hits to lead Albright's offensive attack.

In the day's second game, Concordia used three hits, two walks, and an Albright error to score five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The big blow in the inning was a three-run triple from Laura Johnson. Albright chipped away at the Concordia lead, scoring a run in the third on an RBI single from Ally Wenrich and then adding two more runs in the sixth thanks to a two-run double off the bat of Crouse. In the circle, Becky Moist settled in after the rough first inning and shut out Concordia for the next five frames. Trailing 5-3 heading into the top of the seventh, Ally Wenrich reached on an error to start the inning. Megan Keohane pinch ran for Wenrich, and advanced to third when Danielle Perlin singled and moved to second on another Concordia error. Gloria Alfonsi delivered a sacrifice fly to score Keohane, and Megan Chapman, who pinch ran for Perlin, advancing to third on the play. Miller then grounded out to second, but Chapman scored on the play to tie the game at five. Emily Jensen led off the bottom of the seventh with a single off Moist, but she was able to retire the next two Concordia hitters. Becki Zimmerman brought the game to an abrupt end, however, when she hit a two-run home run to give the Cobbers a 7-5 win. Moist took the loss in the circle for the Lady Lions to fall to 1-2 on the year. Crouse led Albright at the plate with a 3-4 outing and a pair of RBI's.

March 17, 2008: Albright 9, Wisconsin-Superior 8; Rutgers-Newark 5, Albright 4

Ft. Myers, FL - Albright played a pair of one-run games on Monday at the Gene Cusic Classic, winning a wild 9-8 decision against Wisconsin-Superior in the opener before falling in the last inning to Rutgers-Newark 5-4.

The opener against Wisconsin-Superior was a back and forth contest. Albright scored first, using two errors and RBI singles from Stevie Crouse and Alex Keyes to plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Wisconsin-Superior tied the game in the top of the fourth and took a 4-2 lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth. Albright came right back, scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth to regain the lead 5-4. Tara McMurtrie led off the inning with a solo home run to tie the game at five, and a Keyes sacrifice fly and Ally Wenrich single brought home the final two runs of the inning. Albright took the 6-4 lead into the top of the seventh, but Wisconsin-Superior scored four times on five hits in the top of the seventh to take an 8-6 lead. Albright was not done, however. Keyes started the rally with a one-out single, and Wenrich followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Gloria Alfonsi then walked to load the bases, and a passed ball scored Keyes and advanced the other two runners to pull Albright within 8-7. Danielle Perlin then drove in Rebecca Hines, who was pinch running for Wenrich, with the tying run. After Olivia Miller walked and Megan Keohane popped out, McMurtrie delivered a game-winning single that scored Alfonsi with the final run. McMurtrie finished the game 3-4 with three runs scored and three RBI's, while Keyes was 3-3 with two runs batted in. Wenrich picked up the win in the circle in relief of Dana Parolari.

Game two was another see-saw contest for the Lady Lions. Danielle Perlin doubled home Keyes in the top of the first to open the scoring, but Rutgers bounced back with two in the bottom of the second. Albright regained the lead with two runs in the third. A Keyes triple scored Crouse with the second run of the game for Albright, and Perlin drove in Keyes one out later for a 3-2 Lady Lion lead. Rutgers-Newark tied the game at three in the bottom half of the fourth, but again Albright came right back and recaptured the lead, scoring an unearned in the top of the fifth for a 4-3 advantage. That score held until the bottom of the seventh, when Elena Morge's one-out triple drove home the winning runs for the Scarlet Raiders. Crouse, Keyes, Perlin, and Wenrich each had two hits for Albright, with Perlin driving in a pair of runs. In the circle, Becky Moist started and went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. Wenrich suffered the loss in relief to fall to 3-2 on the season.

March 16, 2008: Stockton 5, Albright 2; Albright 11, St. Lawrence 2

Ft. Myers, FL - Albright opened its 2008 spring trip to Ft. Myers with a split on Sunday, falling to Richard Stockton 5-2 before pounding St. Lawrence University 11-2. Albright is 3-3 on the season.

Albright got off to a good start against Stockton, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second inning. Stockton tied the score in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run home run from Kelly Dodd. The game remained tied at two until the sixth, when Stockton put together a three-run inning to build a 5-2 lead. Albright got the first two outs of the inning, only to see Stockton put together a walk, three hits, and an error to score three times. Albright brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but was unable to score as Stockton held on for the win. Ally Wenrich was 3-4 to lead Albright's offense. Dana Parolari suffered the loss for the Lady Lions in relief of Becky Moist, who allowed two runs on six hits in five innings of work.

The Lady Lions took out their frustration on St. Lawrence in the second game of the day, winning 11-2 in a game that ended after five innings due to the eight-run rule. Albright scored three times in the top of the first, using a walk, two errors, and Kelli Johnson's RBI double to grab an early lead. Albright tacked on three more runs in the second, as Stevie Crouse and Johnson scored on passed balls and Danielle Perlin singled to score Alex Keyes to put Albright on top 6-0. St. Lawrence answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to pull within four, but the Lady Lion bats just kept rolling. Johnson got things started in the third with another RBI double, then Keyes drilled a three-run home run to give Albright a 10-2 lead. The Lady Lions added one more run in the top of the fifth, and Wenrich set St. Lawrence down in the bottom half of the inning to bring the game to an end. Wenrich improved to 2-1 on the season, allowing two runs on six hits in five innings of work. Johnson finished the game with a 3-4 effort and a pair of RBI's, while Keyes was 2-3 with three runs batted in.

March 1, 2008: Wilkes 2, Albright 1; Albright 7, Averett 6

Virginia Beach, VA - Albright lost a tough 2-1 decision to Wilkes in the third game of the Virginia Wesleyan Bash at the Beach Saturday afternoon, but bounced back to take a come-from-behind 7-6 win over Averett in the final game of the weekend. The Lady Lions wrap up the season-opening tournament with a 2-2 record.

Albright's Dana Parolari and her Wilkes counterpart Lindsay Behrenshausen locked up in a pitcher's dual in the opener. After three scoreless innings, Wilkes broke through with an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth against Parolari. That run held up until the top of the sixth, when the Lady Lions scratched across a run to tie the score. Stevie Crouse led off with a single and eventually wound up on third base with two outs. Ally Wenrich then delivered a key two out single to score Crouse and knot the score at one. Albright's lead was short lived, however, as Wilkes put another unearned run up in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead they would hold on to for the win. Crouse was 2-2 for Albright, as the Lions managed just three hits off Behrenshausen. Becky Moist suffered the loss after taking over for Parolari in the sixth.

Albright spotted Averett a 5-1 lead in the final game of the tournament, then roared back for the win. The Cougars scored once in the first and twice in the third to grab an early lead. The Lady Lions got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but Averett answered with two in the top of the fifth to hold a 5-1 advantage. Each team added a run in its next at bat, leaving Albright in a 6-2 hole heading to the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Lions put three runs on the board in the sixth, getting a two-out, two-run double from Tara McMurtrie and an RBI single from Crouse to pull within a run at 6-5. Albright completed the comeback in the seventh. Kelli Johnson led off with a single, and Alex Keyes followed with a double to score Johnson with the tying run. Wenrich then delivered a single to move Keyes to third, and Danielle Perlin brought the game to a close with a single to bring home Keyes.

Albright banged out 15 hits in the game, led by Crouse, who was 4-4 with a run scored. Wenrich was 3-4 at the plate and also picked up the win in the circle with four innings of work in relief of Mary Dwyer.

February 29, 2008: Albright 7, Cabrini 0; Guilford 5, Albright 4

Virginia Beach, VA - Albright split a pair of games at the season-opening Virginia Wesleyan Bash at the Beach on Friday. The Lady Lions took the first game of the day 7-0 over Cabrini behind the shutout pitching of junior Becky Moist. In the nightcap Albright came up a run short against Guilford College, falling 5-4.

Moist dominated the opener, giving up just five hits while striking out four in recording her first career shutout. Albright opened the scoring with an unearned run in the top of the third, then added another run in the fifth when Stevie Crouse laced a one-out double and Kelli Johnson followed with a triple to give the Lady Lions a 2-0 lead. After plating another unearned run in the top of the sixth, Albright blew the game open with four runs in the tops of the seventh. The big blows in the inning were back to back triples from Johnson and Alex Keyes.

In the second game of the day one big inning spelled doom for the Lady Lions. Albright took the early lead when Crouse belted a solo home run in the bottom of the third to make the score 1-0. Guilford broke out for five runs in the top of the fifth, using three hits, a walk, and three Albright errors to take a four-run lead. The Lady Lions got a run back in the bottom of the fifth when Crouse triples and Johnson followed with a double, making the score 5-2 Guilford. That was the score heading into the bottom of the seventh when Albright staged one last rally. With two outs and no one on, Johnson singled and Keyes reached on an error. After a passed ball moved the runners to second and third, Ally Wenrich singled to score both Johnson and Keyes and pull Albright within a run at 5-4. The Quakers were able to record the final out, however, and held on for the one-run win.