MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Penn State Harrisburg's softball team opened its 2026 campaign with a pair of victories over Delaware Valley and King's (Pa.) in South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, March 8. The Lions shut out Del Val 4-0 in the opener before closing things out with a 6-1 win over King's in the day's final contest.
GAME 1
Del Val (0-1) loaded the bases in the top of the first but Kylee Miller worked out of the jam by getting Amelia Funston to ground out to Mackenzie Fisher at second base to end the threat.
The Lions (1-0) got the bats going in the bottom of the second, with Emily Cutman leading off with a single through the right side and Elaina Gates swiping second as a pinch runner. An Aggie error kept the inning going and Kierstyn Smith made it hurt with a two-out single to center field that drove in Gates and Lauren Maguire to give Penn State Harrisburg a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
The Aggies had another prime scoring opportunity in the fourth, loading the bases for a second time but Miller worked out of trouble again, getting Haley Kley to pop out to Aleisa Rowe at shortstop and Jillian Collins to fly out to Maguire in left field, keeping Del Val off the board in the process.
The Aggies threatened again in fifth when a one-out triple put a runner in scoring position but head coach Mandi Baer played her infield in and it paid off when Fisher fielded a one hopper to second and got the force out at home. Aspen Walker got a two-out rally going in the bottom half with a single up the middle and Cutman smacked a double to left field to drive her in from first base and push the advantage to three after five.
Penn State Harrisburg's defense was on display again in the sixth when Miller stabbed a line drive back up the middle out of the air and fired on to second base to double off Madison Karns and end the top half. Madisen Minney led off the bottom half by blasting a triple to right field and Maguire brought her home with a double down the left field line.
Miller closed things out with a scoreless top of the seventh and Maguire made a great play on a lineout to left center field to secure the shutout and seal Penn State Harrisburg's season-opening victory.
GAME 2
After two scoreless innings to begin the contest, Penn State Harrisburg (2-0) got on the board in the top of the third when Cutman worked a bases-loaded walk that pushed Fisher across. Before the stanza was through, Maguire doubled the lead with an RBI single to left field that drove in Ava Allison.
The Monarchs (1-1) got one back in the bottom of the sixth but Megan Foltz worked out of the jam and stranded a pair of runners in scoring position to end the threat, while in the top of the seventh, the bats came to life for the Lions to the tune of four runs on four hits. Walker, Cutman and Maguire led off with consecutive singles and Sierra Sims followed with a sacrifice fly that plated Walker. Rylee Martinez followed with a single through the left side that scored Elaina Gates and Maguire and a King's error allowed Smith to come across and cap the game's scoring.
Foltz put the finishing touches on the victory by picking up the last of her 10 strikeouts on the day in the bottom of the seventh before getting Kara Krouse to ground out to shortstop to end the game.
NOTABLES
- The Lions finished with three extra-base hits in the opener, including a triple and a pair of doubles.
- Penn State Harrisburg made timely plays in the field in game one, stranding 11 Del Val runners on base.
- Cutman finished 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the first outing.
- Walker went 2-for-3 with a run scored in game one.
- Smith finished 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI in the opener.
- Minney was 1-for-2 with a triple and a run scored in the first contest.
- Maguire made her collegiate debut a memorable one, going 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored.
- In the opening outing, Miller earned the complete-game, shutout win, working around 10 hits and striking out five.
- Maguire stayed hot in game two, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a pair of stolen bases.
- Foltz threw a complete game in the nightcap, allowing just one run on three hits to go along with 10 strikeouts.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions continue spring break play with two more games on Monday. Game one against Lycoming is scheduled for 9 a.m. before a matchup with Martin Luther at 3 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.
