The Penn State New Kensington softball team returns home at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 14, with a conference doubleheader against Penn State Hazleton at Wolf Pack Park in Lower Burrell, Pa.
The New Kensington Lady Lions are coming off a doubleheader loss April 5 to Carlow University, the number one team in the country in the USCAA national Coaches' Poll. The team’s bats were silent as the Celtics shut out New Kensington, 8-0 and 1-0. Sophomore pitcher/third baseman Jenna Swank, 2-6 on the year, took the loss in the opener, and sophomore third baseman/pitcher Tarra Oravec, 3-2, dropped the second game.
“Jenna and Tarra pitched well, but we couldn't get anything going offensively,” said Mike Marsili, the fourth-year head coach. “We had many runners in scoring position but couldn't get the timely hit.”
With the losses, New Kensington falls to 5-8 overall. The team remains at 3-1 and tied for second in the Penn State University Athletic Conference. The Lady Lions are 19th in this week's USCAA poll. Hazleton, 3-2, is in third place in the PSUAC, a half-game behind New Kensington.
Marsili’s squad swept a doubleheader from Penn State Worthington Scranton, 11-1, 16-0, and split with Penn State Beaver, losing 9-0 and winning 10-4. Individually, Swank leads the team with a .375 batting average followed by Oravec at .333, and sophomore shortstop Bridget Fisher at .308. Oravec tops the squad in home runs, 2, and RBI, 7.
The Lady Lions travel to McKeesport, Pa., on Wednesday, April 11, for a 2 p.m. conference doubleheader at Penn State Greater Allegheny, 1-1 in the PSUAC.
For a season prospectus, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Information/News/44435.htm#NEWS44435 online.