Reading, Pa. – The Penn State Abington softball team split a United East Conference (UEC) doubleheader at Penn State Berks on Tuesday afternoon at Hintz Athletic Field.  Abington dropped game one by the score of 4-0, but bounced back in game two with a 6-5 victory.
 
GM1 Score: Penn State Berks 4, Penn State Abington 0
GM2 Score: Penn State Abington 6, Penn State Berks 5
Records: Penn State Abington (10-8, 5-3 UEC) | Penn State Berks (9-6, 6-2 UEC)
Location: Reading, Pa. (Hintz Athletic Field)
 
How It Happened (Game 1)
 
* Berks scored a pair of runs in the first inning to give Briana Smith all the support she would need.  Smith (6-2) went seven scoreless innings holding Abington to just three hits in the game.  She finished with nine strikeouts.
 
* Berks added two more runs in the fifth with Peyton Vivian and Savannah Wilson each driving in a run.
 
Inside the Box Score (Game 1)
 
* Abbi Long, Jenna Gorman and Hailey Gamble all went 1-for-3 in the game for Abington.
 
* For Berks, Emily Strupp went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI.
 
How It Happened (Game 2)
 
* It was a scoreless affair until the sixth inning when Abington broke through with three runs.  Sophomore Laura VanHoeven led the inning off with a triple and then senior Mary Kate Smith doubled to give Abington two runners in scoring position.  VanHoeven would score on a groundout by Long to give Abington the game's first lead at 1-0.
 
* Later in the inning, Abington scored two more times thanks to run scoring hits by junior Maddie Duffy and Gorman.  The two run-scoring hits increased Abington's lead to 3-0.
 
* In the bottom of the sixth, Berks got two of the runs back as Strupp drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle to make the score 3-2.
 
* Berks tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI single by Susan Duncan to force extra innings.
 
* In the extra frame, Abington scored the first of its three runs in the inning off a costly error by Berks.  Abington tallied two more runs in the inning thanks to a clutch two-run double by Gorman with two outs in the inning.
 
* The three runs turned in handy in the bottom of the eighth as Berks scored twice to cut the deficit to 6-5.  However, with two outs in the inning sophomore Elyssa Bohr was able to retire the final batter on a groundout to preserve the win. 
 
Inside the Box Score (Game 2)
 
* Gorman went 2-for-4 as she drove in a season-high three runs; one shy of her career-high.
 
* Smith also had multiple hits in the game as she finished 2-for-4 at the plate. 
 
* VanHoeven (3-4) earned her third win of the season after going 7.1 innings.  She held Berks scoreless through the first 5.2 innings. 
 
* Bohr picked up her first career save after retiring the final two batters of the game in relief.
 
* For Berks, Strupp finished 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBI.  She finished the doubleheader with four RBI and four hits.
 
All-Time Series
Today marked the 42^nd and 43^rd meetings between Abington and Berks since the start of the 2011 season.  Abington is now 6-37 versus Berks in that span.  The game two victory marked Abington's first win against Berks since 2015. 
 
Next Up
Abington returns to action on Friday, April 8 as the Nittany Lions host Gallaudet University in United East action.  Game one of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m. at Huntingdon Field.