MEADVILLE, Penn. – Allegheny College (12-10-1, 8-4-1 NCAC) won a North Coast Athletic Conference softball doubleheader over Kenyon College (29-11, 9-7 NCAC) Saturday afternoon at Robertson Complex. Kenyon's conference postseason tournament hopes still remain despite the losses. The Ladies need Denison University to lose one of their remaining four NCAC games (vs. Hiram & Ohio Wesleyan) to make the tournament.
 
GAME ONE
 
Allegheny benefited from an extremely fast start going up 10-1 after two innings en route to an 11-5 victory in the opener.
 
The Gators gained a 3-1 lead after Allie Landowski's fielder's choice RBI scored Sadie Stuart. Two batters later, Taylor Massart smacked a one-out grand slam to center field moving Allegheny ahead 7-1.
 
In the second, Hannah Blinn pushed the Gators up 9-1 with a run-scoring single. The scoring was capped off when Massart singled up the middle plating Blinn.
 
Kenyon found three runs in the fifth to bring the score to 11-4. Chelsea Delaney was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and later in the inning Liz Paterra singled to right field scoring Amanda Coyle and Jane Ghublikian.
 
Danielle Elizarraraz tallied the Ladies' final run of the game with an RBI double down the left field line in the seventh.
 
Allegheny recorded 10 hits in the game while also getting a solid pitching performance from Caitlin Nealer (10-5) who struck out 10 batters.  That strikeout total was the most Kenyon had go against them all season.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Ladies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third thanks to Lindsey Susolik's single-season record ninth home run. The junior from Newport Beach, Calif., passed teammate Chelsea Delaney and former player Carrie Robertson who had hit eight in 2013 and 2002, respectively.
 
But after that, Allegheny shut down Kenyon.  Nealer allowed just one Ladies base-runner to get into scoring position between the fourth through seventh innings. That came on a Hayley Howard double in the fourth.
 
Nealer put the Gators on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third with a run-scoring single. The Gators then tied the game as Stuart scored on a fielding error in the outfield.
 
Allegheny took the lead for good with three more runs in the next frame.
 
Jessica Zavolta put the home team up 3-2 with a run-scoring single to center field. Zavolta later stole home for the Gators' fourth run and the final score came on an infield error allowing Nealer to cross home.
 
Delaney led the Ladies with two hits while Maddy Stark and Sylvie Thomas each tossed three innings. They combined to allow seven hits, three earned runs, and fanned four batters.
 
Kenyon will sit back and watch the scoreboard over the next two days to see if they qualify for the NCAC Tournament which begins May 1.