Written by: Ashley Jacobs, Sports Information Director
The Penn State Mont Alto Softball Team is named 2011 PSUAC Champions after defeating Penn State Hazleton two games in a row on Saturday. The playoffs were held at Penn State Altoona where Mont Alto first faced Penn College on Friday, defeating them 6-5. Due to lack of daylight, the next game against Hazleton was postponed until Saturday. Mont Alto played Hazleton at 10:00 a.m. winning 6-5. They faced each other again in the championship game where Mont Alto continued their winning streak and swept Hazelton 7-4. The last time Mont Alto won the PSUAC Softball Championship was in 2002.
Freshman pitcher Kristyan Gates (Hanover, PA/Hanover) was on the mound for Mont Alto for the championship game. She allowed five hits and three earned runs, walking none and striking out six. On defense Kaylee Poole (St. Thomas, PA/James Buchanan) and Helena DeShong (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) had two RBIs. Poole led Mont Alto for the season in batting with a .393 average and Laura Dell (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) had 24 runs batted in. "These young ladies were maybe the ones that were not always recognized in their high school teams and several of our players have never played softball before," head coach Bobby Davis comments. "But they give everything they have every game. They know and understand what it is like to be a member of a team without needing the superstar status. They play the games the way they are supposed to be played and they support each other. We are very pleased with this team."
Before the PSUAC Playoffs started, the team accepted a bid to the USCAA Softball National Championships. They will be traveling to Akron, Ohio and playing at Firestone Stadium on Friday May 6th at 12:00 p.m. against St Joseph's College-Brooklyn. Stay updated on Penn State Mont Alto's website, www.psumontaltoathletics.com and the USCAA website, www.theuscaa.com.
