PHILADELPHIA – Going into the day, Thomas Jefferson University (9-23, 8-8) and Georgian Court University (11-21, 6-8) were in the seventh and eighth spot for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) rankings. Looking to cement their spot for postseason play, the Rams earned the sweep over the Lions, taking game one 3-2 in nine innings while narrowly escaping a high-scoring game two 14-13.
 
WHAT HAPPENED
GAME ONE: W, 3-2 (9 INNINGS)

• First game saw both teams have strong defensive play the first six innings, with the Lions having the closest shot at scoring in the first inning that was thwarted by a strikeout and liner
• Georgian Court went ahead in the top of the seventh as a single up the middle and a sacrifice flyout turned it to a 2-0 lead
• Jefferson refused to let the game end in seven innings as a MacKenzie Ward two-run double to left center tied the game at 2-2 and forced extra innings
• Holding to no score in the eighth and making the Lions unable to get their runner to homeplate, Alleigh Waskie hit a hard single up the middle to bring Claudia Alldred home and take game one over Georgian Court
• Delaney Alix pitched all nine innings for the Rams, allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out five batters for the victory

QUICK HITS
Bridget Shields: 1-for-4
Remy Smith: 2-for-4
Lily Hutt: 1-for-4
Sabrina Pastino: 1-for-4
Annie Eliason: 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 Double
Madeline Holmes: 1-for-1
Alleigh Waskie: 1-for-4, 1 RBI
MacKenzie Ward: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 Double
Delaney Alix: 9.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 SO
 
GAME TWO: W, 14-13

• Game two had a higher scoring affair, as both teams had a season-high in scoring in one contest with 27 combined runs, 37 hits, and eight errors, seven of which were on the Rams side
• The Lions scored two runs in the first with a single to right field and a thirdbasemen error
• Jefferson responded as Remy Smith one-run single to right center and Annie Eliason two-run double to center field made it a 3-2 Rams lead
• Georgian Court went to add four runs in the second inning as a two-run triple, wild pitch, and a one-run single had Jefferson trail 6-3
• Madeline l Holmes two-run double in the bottom of the third had the Rams trail by one run. Holmes crossed homeplate as Becca Shuler brought her round the bases off a one-run single to even the game at 6-6
• The Lions went ahead once more as a single that turned to an error brought one runner to home in the fourth inning for a 7-6 lead. Georgian Court put up four more runs in the fifth as another error got one run while a two-run triple and a one-run single had Jefferson down 11-6 going to the bottom of the inning
• The Rams began their comeback as an error by the Lions' pitcher got one run in for Jefferson. Lily Hutt hit a single to the right field, bringing in two more runners to homeplate as they trailed 11-9 with the light on the field slowly creeping away
• After holding Georgian Court scoreless, the Rams fired on all cylinders in the sixth inning with Eliason's homerun starting it off. Shuler's single bunt up the middle added another run to even the game out. Bridget Shields single to the right side saw Jefferson have their first lead since the third inning, but that did not stop them from adding more as Hutt's single to the right side and a walk turned the contest to a 14-11 lead heading to the top of the seventh
• The Lions looked to keep the game going as the brightness was nearly non-existent on the field as a single to the right field with an error got one Georgian Court runner to homeplate while a sacrifice flyout had them trail by one run. A single to the right field had a runner on third to even the game out. The Rams held on, getting a flyout to center field to finish the marathon game and earn the sweep with a 14-13 game two victory
• Hutt took the win as she came in and pitched the final two innings, allowing only three hits and two runs while striking out a batter. Liv Stevens started the day for Jefferson, pitching the first 1.2 innings with five hits, six runs with only five earned during her time on the mound. Devin Brandley pitched 3.1 innings as she had 7 hits with all five runs not being earned and three strikeouts on the evening

QUICK HITS
Becca Shuler: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
Bridget Shields: 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 Triple
Remy Smith: 3-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Lily Hutt: 3-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER
Sydnie Lanasa: 1-for-4, 1 R
Annie Eliason: 4-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 1 Double
Madeline Holmes: 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 Double
Devin Brandley: 1-for-3, 2 R, 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 SO
MacKenzie Ward: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 Double
Liv Stevens: 1.2 Ip, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson will have a quick turnaround as they compete in their final regular season home contest on Thursday, April 17 when they face Post University in CACC action. First pitch to be thrown at 2:30 p.m. Read Full Article