CLERMONT, FLA.—The SUNY Potsdam softball team (2-6) defeated Penn State-Hazleton (1-7) 3-2 before falling to Wentworth Institute of Technology (Mass.) (4-4) 8-7 on Thursday in Florida.
 
Against Penn State-Hazleton, the contest was a pitcher's duel between senior Megan Fish (Getzville, N.Y./Williamsville North) and Madison Clark of the Lions. PSH finally broke through with a run on an error in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Abby Hodgdon (Hammond, N.Y./Hammond) came around to tie the game on an error in the top of the fifth. The Lions grabbed the lead a final time with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth. With Potsdam down to its last out in the top of the seventh, senior center fielder Lucy Condon (Waterloo, Ontario/St. David Catholic) launched a decisive two-run bomb that scored freshman right fielder Anna Grottola (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot).
 
Fish didn't allow an earned run in her two-hit gem. She struck out four. Clark was nearly as good, allowing three earned runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out six.
 
Condon was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Grottola was 1-for-4 with a run and sophomore catcher Hailey LaGiudice (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt Sinai) was 1-for-3.
 
 
The Leopards jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the first three innings of the second game. The Bears got a run back on an error that scored Condon in the bottom of the fourth. Fish drove in Grottola and sophomore first baseman Abby Vaughn (Apalachin, N.Y./Oswego Free Academy) to close the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth and Condon then scored on an error to tie the game.
 
Wentworth regained the lead in the top of the sixth with four runs on five hits and an error. The Bears rallied a final time but fell just short in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman pinch runner Alex Quinn (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam) scored on an error. Condon drove in freshman pinch hitter Makenzie Martin (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam) with a sacrifice fly. Junior pitcher Morgan Brown (Duvall, Wash./Cedarcrest) then plated freshman second baseman Madison Gerber (Buffalo, N.Y./Sweet Home) to close the scoring at 8-7. Potsdam threatened but didn't score in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Brown got the no decision after allowing four runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings. She struck out four. Freshman Amanda Kiser (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) (0-2) allowed four runs on five hits and struck out two. Freshman Diana Kilgallen (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) allowed a hit and a walk in the last 0.2 innings.
 
Kayla DeMedeiros (2-2) earned the win for the Leopards after allowing seven runs, just one earned, on eight hits in six innings. She struck out four. Aurora Wilks nabbed the save after a perfect seventh inning with one strike out.
 
Grottola and Fish were each 2-for-4, with Fish netting two RBI. Condon was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Vaughn was 1-for-2 with a run and LaGiudice was 1-for-4.
 
The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on Westfield State (Mass.) at 9:30 a.m. and Becker College (Mass.) at 2 p.m.