Back-and-Forth Battle and Tough Finish Mark Day for Beaver in Myrtle Beach
Beaver showed resilience but came up short in two games during its spring trip.
| BOT 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 |
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0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
| TOP 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | X | 9 | 11 | 3 |
North Myrtle Beachy, SC - Penn State Beaver continued its season at the Fast Pitch Dreams Tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on March 11, competing in a pair of games that featured strong individual performances but ultimately ended in losses for the Lions.
In the opener, Beaver battled in a back-and-forth contest against Rochester Christian before falling 9–7. After trailing early, the Lions erupted for five runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5–2 lead, using aggressive baserunning and timely contact to flip the momentum. Rochester Christian answered to tie the game by the fifth and eventually edged ahead, but Beaver responded again in the sixth when Reza Benson delivered a two-run single to knot the score at 7–7. The game turned in the eighth when Rochester Christian pushed across two runs, and Beaver was unable to answer in the bottom half as the tying run never came home.
In the second game of the day, Beaver fell 9–1 to the United States Coast Guard Academy in a game that ended after five innings. Coast Guard struck first in the opening inning and steadily built its lead, scoring two runs in the second and three in the third to take control. Beaver broke through in the fourth when Haley Cook drove in the team's lone run with an RBI single, but Coast Guard answered with three runs in the bottom half to extend the margin and seal the run-rule victory.
Game 1 – Rochester Christian 9, Penn State Beaver 7 (8 innings)
Jaiden Patterson led the Beaver offense by going 2-for-5 with a double, a triple, and an RBI. Haydan Baucan finished 1-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Reza Benson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Mackenzie Boyd added a 2-for-4 performance with a run scored. Additional RBIs came from Kierstyn Mays, Cheyenne Duhl (sacrifice fly), and Reese Riordan. Beaver was aggressive on the bases with steals from Benson, Boyd, Haley Cook, Duhl (two), and Riordan. In the circle, Mays started and worked 5.1 innings, with Benson and Boyd appearing in relief. Defensively, the Lions were charged with four errors.
Game 2 – Coast Guard 9, Penn State Beaver 1 (5 innings)
Kierstyn Mays led Beaver at the plate, going 2-for-3 and recording two of the team's three hits. Haley Cook went 1-for-2 with the Lions' lone RBI, and Mackenzie Boyd scored Beaver's only run. Boyd took the loss in the circle after three innings of work, while Reza Benson pitched the fourth inning in relief. Penn State Beaver committed three errors in the field that contributed to the early deficit.
To wrap up the day, Penn State Beaver will look to regroup as the Lions continue their spring trip in Myrtle Beach. The team is currently 2-2 on the season and 0-0 in conference; Beaver returns to the field on March 12 against Southern Maine CC at 9am and then Bridgewater State University at 11am at the Fastpitch Dreams Tournament. For all things Penn State Beaver Softball go to beaverathletics.com!
