ALLENTOWN, Pa. – With playoff seeding in mind, Cedar Crest was looking to take advantage of one-win Notre Dame of Maryland. The Gators went down 18-1 (5 innings) in game one, but didn't rollover without a hard fought effort in game two that ended 8-0 (5 innings). A score not indicative of the efforts by sophomore pitcher, Jessie Leatherwood as five of the runs came unearned.

Game 1
The Gators came out swinging to start the day as Maci Lopez singled back up the middle to open up play. Two batters later, Jessie Leatherwood roped a double in the gap, but Lopez was thrown out getting caught up between home and 3^rd in an unconventional 8-2-5 putout. Two more batters later and Kayla Grube drove in Leatherwood with an RBI base hit, giving the Gators and early 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately, this was the extent of the Gators offense for game one. A pair of Cedar Crest pitchers, Breanna Young and Corinne Mundy, faced the minimum number of batters through the next three innings.

Maci Lopez got to start at pitcher for the second straight game, but the high powered Cedar Crest team that only lost two games on the season thus far, got the big bats out early. They hit back to back homeruns and jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first.

After six runs in the second inning, five in the third inning, three more in fourth inning, the Falcons led 18-1 going into the fifth and would be final inning.

Fresh off a CSAC women's lacrosse title on Saturday, Freshman, Emily DiPasquale, made her first start with the softball team. She played left field and reached on an error in the top of the fifth inning.

Game 2
Jessie Leatherwood took the bump for game two. Last time out against Rosemont she fared much better not having the stress of pitching back to back games. Similar results would follow as she started strong allowing just one hit in the first, and retiring the side in order in the second inning. The questions would be if the Gator bats would give the sophomore some support.

The Gators had a chance to break things open in the top of the third, as the top of the order loaded the bases with two outs. Kayla Grube, who picked up and RBI in game one, couldn't find one here, grounding out to the shortstop to end the inning.

Leatherwood went back to work and retired the Falcons 1-2-3 in the third, as the game remained scoreless going to the fourth inning. She was efficient with her pitches, pounding the strike zone, allowing no walks and one hit to this point.

In the fourth, the Falcons put together a two-out rally. A single, then a walk. A second single put the first run on the board, then a double made it 3-0. Leatherwood induced a pop up to limit the damage and get out of the jam. But in the fifth, the flood gates opened up as Cedar Crest plated five runs on three hits and two errors without the Gators recoding an out. All five runs unearned, and brought the score to an 8-0 final.

Notre Dame of Maryland scattered five hits in the game. Only two less than Cedar Crest managed. The Falcons hits just happened to be much more timely and of the run producing type. 

Leatherwood struck out four in her four innings of work, bringing her season strike out total up to 74 over 50 innings. Second most Ks in the conference behind Wilson College's Megan Potter (96).

On the day, Maci Lopez combined to go 2-for-5 with a walk, Jessie Leatherwood went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored, and Kayla Grube went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

Next up
Notre Dame of Maryland is back home at Kiwanis-Walls park in Ellicott City on Wednesday for a doubleheader with Wilson College. A week ago it was 40 degrees by game two with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. The forecast for Wednesday's 3:00pm first pitch…87 degrees and sunshine. Wilson is third in the CSAC, and Megan Potter has been the conferences toughest pitcher to face. She pitched a five inning no-hitter against Rosemont nine days ago. In her last 26 innings pitched, she has allowed only 14 hits, one walk, three earned runs, and struck out 34 batters. She boasts a 1.45 ERA on the season.
 
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