LYNDHURST, N.J. – The Philadelphia University needed a seventh-inning rally to come from behind and take game one of its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) doubleheader against Felician, 3-1, and then pounded out a season-high 25 hits to take the nightcap, 16-6.
With the two wins, Philadelphia improves to 15-23 overall and surpassed its win total from last season (13). The Rams are now 7-11 in the CACC. Felician dips to 13-23 overall and 9-11 against the conference.
In the first game, the Rams trailed 1-0 heading to the seventh. With one out, sophomore shortstop Stephanie Martin (Hanover, Md./Seton Keough) doubled and junior third baseman Meaghan Lewis (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) reached on an error.
After they both stole a base, junior center fielder Samantha Riabko (Haddon Twp., N.J./Haddon Twp.) tied the game with a base hit to left to bring in Martin and advance Lewis to third. Freshman pitcher Kasia Smith (Waddell, Ariz./Estrella Foothills) helped her own cause with a single to left that allowed Lewis to score the go-ahead run.
Sophomore second baseman Andrea Schell (Glen Gardner, N.J./Voorhees) tacked on an insurance run with a single to send home Smith.
In the circle, Smith was solid as she fanned five and scattered just four hits to get the complete game victory.
Freshman first baseman Emilia Cantrell (Pipersville, Pa./C.B. East), Martin, and Schell all had two hits for the Rams, who had nine in the game.
Felician scored its lone run on a RBI single by Taylor Parker with one out in the fourth.
Philadelphia jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Smith's first career home run. After plating single runs in the fourth and fifth, the Rams pushed across two more runs in the sixth on a Cantrell double and a Martin single to extend the lead to 6-0.
In the seventh, the Rams sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 times on 11 hits to push the gap to 16-0. Freshman left fielder Renee Karakeka (Schaumburg, Ill/Schaumburg), Martin, Lewis, and Smith all drove in two runs during the outburst.
The Golden Falcons scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Karakera finished the game 5-for-5 and scored twice. Smith was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, while Martin ended up 2-for-6 and drove in three runs. Sophomore pitcher Samantha Abromavage (Jefferson Twp., N.J./Lake Hopatcong), Cantrell, and Riakbo posted three hits.
Parker led the Felician offense with a 2-for-4 game with two RBIs.
Abromavage got the win after allowing just one earned run on 10 hits and striking out two in seven innings.
Philadelphia returns home to face Goldey-Beacom in a CACC doubleheader on Tuesday, April 16 at 2:30 p.m.
