AKRON, Ohio — In a game that took two extra innings before being decided, Carlow University of Pittsburgh pulled out a 4-3 victory over the University of Maine at Presque Isle in the opener of the USCAA Softball Tournament played Monday.
The Owls then fell to Penn State-Beaver in an evening contest, 3-2, which also went into extra innings.
UMPI, with a 23-15 overall record, plays Penn State-Fayette in the ninth-place game Tuesday at 2 p.m.
UMPI led Carlow after five innings, 2-1, before giving up a run in the bottom of the sixth to force extra innings. Each team scored a run in the eighth before Carlow scored the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Molly Patsche, bringing in Ashley Hoak from third base.
The Owls scored a single run in the fourth on Ayana Walker’s run-scoring double and added a second run an inning later by taking advantage of two Carlow fielding errors, with Brianna Losee coming across to score.
UMPI’s run in the eighth also was unearned, with Ariel Williams crossing the plate.
Sara Packard struck out five batters and walked none on the mound for UMPI.
Against Penn State-Beaver, UMPI plated a pair of runs in the fourth to take the lead, but once again could not hold on. Nicole Marucci had an RBI double and Williams a run-scoring single in the inning for the Owls.
Penn-State Beaver tied the game with single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, and then won it in the bottom of the eighth on an unearned run.
Packard again pitched for the Owls. Emma Gogan led the UMPI offense with three hits.
