PITTSBURGH – Nicole Ewings was 3-for-3 with three RBIs as
Pitt-Bradford defeated Penn State Behrend 7-6 in the
double-elimination Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
softball tournament Friday afternoon.

Behrend opened a 4-0 lead off with a run in the first and then
three more in the second off Pitt-Bradford ace Kristy Zavinski.

The Lady Panthers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the
second on an RBI single by Ewings, a sacrifice fly by Jillian
Kreitzer and a run-scoring groundout by Tori Sanchez.

Pitt-Bradford took a 6-4 advantage in the third on a triple by
Michelle Kushner, an RBI suicide squeeze by Zavinski and a two-run
base hit by Ewings.

The Lady Panthers tacked on another run in the fourth on an RBI
double by Kushner.

“The two-run single by Nicole (Ewings) was huge and put us back
in the game,” said Tina Phillips, Pitt-Bradford head coach. “Kristy
(Zavinski) also had a big suicide squeeze to tie it (4-4) in the
second. I think we were nervous early and we were lucky to be down
only 1-0 after the first inning. They (Lady Lions) had the bases
loaded but Kristy got out of it with a ground ball.”

Third-seeded Behrend (24-13) plated two runs in the seventh to
make it a one-run contest, but Zavinski (9-9) stranded the tying
run at second base by inducing a flyout to right field.

“We thought this would be our toughest game,” Phillips declared.
“Behrend always plays us tough.”

Kushner was 2-for-4 with an RBI, LeeAnn Kramer was 3-for-4 and
Tori Sanchez was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Lady Panthers.

Pitt-Bradford (18-16) will face top-seeded LaRoche College
(26-13) on its home field on Saturday (12:30 p.m.). The Lady
Panthers swept the Redhawks 4-0 and 5-2 on April 19 to hand LaRoche
(16-2) its only AMCC losses of the year.