MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Carissa Yeager reached the 200-strikeout mark for her career and threw a perfect five-inning game in an 8-0 game one win before Penn State Harrisburg's softball team extended its recent win streak to 13 in a row with another 8-0 victory over conference foe Valley Forge in the nightcap at Courtney Pollock Memorial Field on Friday afternoon, April 18.


Yeager struck out four batters without allowing a hit or walk and her defense was clean behind her in the opening victory. Mackenzie Fisher, Rylee Martinez and Sierra Sims each had three-hit games, while Madelyn Lehigh drove in a pair of runs. Fisher scored three runs and Martinez drove in two of her own. 


The Lions (20-8, 10-2 United East) jumped out to an early lead when Martinez doubled to left center and drove in Fisher with two outs. Yeager tallied the 200th strikeout of her career with a backwards K that ended the top of the second and the home team went back to work in the bottom half, as an Ashley Elefante bunt allowed Sims to come around before a Fisher single to center field scored Elefante. 


Penn State Harrisburg tacked on another in the third when Ava Allison led off the frame with a triple to center field and Sims plated her with a well-placed bunt single. Yeager retired the Patriots (3-26, 0-11 United East) in order for the fourth straight time and Lehigh added another run in the bottom half with an RBI single up the middle that drove in Fisher. 


Yeager did her part by sitting UVF down 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth and the offense ended the game early thanks to three runs in the bottom half, with Lehigh, Fallon McFadden and Martinez each driving in a run.


After Kierstyn Smith racked up three strikeouts to begin the second contest, Allison stayed hot at the plate, driving in Lehigh and Martinez to open the scoring for Penn State Harrisburg (21-8, 11-2 United East) in the bottom of the first. 


Smith retired UVF (3-27, 0-12 United East) in order in the second and the Lions put up three more runs in the home half thanks to an RBI single from Fisher that plated Lillian Feltenberger and a Martinez double that drove in Ashley Elefante and Fisher to push the advantage to 5-0 through two frames.


The home team tacked on another run in the third when Fisher worked a bases-loaded walk before ending things early for the second game in a row thanks to a walk-off double hit by McFadden that drove in Zoe Beall and Feltenberger in the bottom of the fifth. 


NOTABLES
- With the pair of victories, Penn State Harrisburg extended its program-record win streak to 13 in a row.
- The opening victory was the 100th for the senior class of Olivia Herncane, Lehigh and Yeager.
- Yeager became just the fifth player in program history to reach the 200 strikeout mark for her career. She did it while throwing a perfect five-inning game and striking out four batters.
- As a group, the Lions racked up 16 hits in the first contest.
- Martinez went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the game one. She was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored in the finale. 
- Sims finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in the opener.
- Fisher was 3-for-4, scored three runs and drove in another in the first game. She finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored in the second outing.
- Lehigh went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the opening contest.
- Elefante finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in game one.
- Allison had two hits, including a triple, and scored a run in the first outing. She added a double and drove in two runs in game two.
- Smith allowed just three hits and struck out six batters to earn the win in game two. 
- Emily Cutman had a multi-hit second game.
- Feltenberger scored a pair of runs in the nightcap. 
- McFadden doubled and drove in a pair of runs in the second game. 


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions host United East foe Keystone for a single conference game on Monday afternoon.


STAY CONNECTED
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