(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson softball team tallied 14 hits to win the opener against visiting Muhlenberg, 10-5, but suffered a 6-3 setback in the nightcap as the teams split in Centennial Conference action on Tuesday night at Dickinson Park.
The Mules struck early, scoring one in the top of the first inning on an RBI single from sophomore Karissa Astrella.
Sophomore Nicole Clayton (Chadds Ford, Pa./Unionville) made a beautiful diving catch in center to prevent another Mule run in the top of the third and junior Nicole Torlincasi (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) gave Dickinson a 2-1 lead, launching a double to the wall in left center.
That scored Alicia Lane (Bolton, Mass./Garaway) and Jessica Epstein (Madison, N.J./Madison), who reached on back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. The Red Devils would continue to rally in the third as senior Nicole Piet (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) followed up with an RBI single and classmate Grace Edelson (Basking Ridge, N.J./Villa Walsh) sent a two-run bomb over the fence in right center to stretch the lead to 5-1.
The Red Devils loaded the bases as Lane came to the plate for the second time in the inning and delivered a two-run base-hit in to shallow right to make the score, 7-1.
Muhlenberg tallied three runs in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 7-4. The Mules tallied another in the sixth and threatened again but senior Casey Ditzler (Cleona, Pa./Annville-Cleona) made a great play to the plate to prevent the run.
The Mules pushed one across on the sixth before the Red Devils capitalized on a pair of errors to add three insurance runs for a 10-5 advantage, with Edelson and Lane adding RBIs.
The Devils held on for the 10-5 victory with first-year Madison Milaszewski (Rutland, Mass./Sutton) earning the win in the circle. Classmate Killian Kueny (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) came on to earn the save.
Edelson went 3-for-4 in the opener, driving in three runs. Ditzler went 3-for-4 in game one, scoring twice. Lane drove in a two runs with two hits while Epstein finished with two hits as well.
The Mules scored in the top of the third of game two to take a brief 1-0 lead. Edelson put the Devil up 2-1 in the bottom of the inning with her second homerun of the night, this one sailing over the wall in left.
Kristina Qualben tied the game with a solo shot to left center to start the fifth inning and Amie DeFeo delivered an RBI single to put Muhlenberg back on top, 3-2. The Red Devils countered immediately once again as Edelson reached on a two-out single and came in to score as Ditzler hit a triple to right field.
Astrella scored on an error in the sixth and drove in two runs in the top of the seventh to put the Mules in front, 6-3. They would hold in the bottom half of the inning to force the split.
Edleson led the way again, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the nightcap.
The Red Devils move to 13-21 overall and stand even in the Centennial Conference at 7-7. They travel to Franklin & Marshall on Saturday to face the Diplomats at 1:00 pm.
