Big Fourth Inning Pushes Penn State New Kensington Past Schuylkill, 6–3

Big Fourth Inning Pushes Penn State New Kensington Past Schuylkill, 6–3

New Kensington, Pa. – A six-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth inning fueled a comeback win for Penn State New Kensington, who held off Penn State Schuylkill 6–3 in a competitive PSUAC softball matchup on Wednesday afternoon.

Schuylkill struck first, scoring in three consecutive innings to take a 3–1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. Key contributions came from Keira Devor, who doubled home a run in the third, and Cealinn McGroarty, who added an RBI single in the fourth. The Schuylkill bats collected 12 hits on the day, with Jade Weiss and Alyssa Youst each tallying two.

But New Kensington came alive offensively in the bottom of the fourth and never looked back. Natalia Rivera Jimenez started the rally with an RBI single, followed by Jaiden Patterson's game-tying hit. A groundout by Olivia Waldrop gave them the lead, and Linda Shepard delivered the knockout blow with a two-RBI double to deep left-center. The Lions sent nine batters to the plate in the frame, turning a two-run deficit into a three-run cushion.

Shepard also played a crucial role in the circle. Coming on in relief, she threw three shutout innings to earn the save, allowing just three hits and a walk. Starter Brookelyn Kotch went three innings, and Waldrop pitched the fourth, working through some early trouble.

The win marks a strong team performance for New Kensington, who saw hits from eight different players and clean, aggressive base running with five stolen bags.

Penn State New Kensington Stats

Batting

• Hits: 12 (Patterson 2, Barnett, Waldrop, Shepard 2, Zufall, Kotch 2, J. Rivera 2, Jimenez)

• Runs: 6 (Kotch 2, J. Rivera, Patterson, Barnett, Jimenez)

• RBIs: Shepard (2), Patterson, Waldrop, J. Rivera, Jimenez

• Doubles: Shepard

• Stolen Bases: Patterson, Barnett (2), Shepard, Jimenez

Pitching

• Brookelyn Kotch – 3.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

• Olivia Waldrop – 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

• Linda Shepard – 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO

Fielding

• No errors reported