Box Score

IMMACULATA, Pa. – Meagan Fitzgerald tossed a one-hit shutout as host Immaculata University defeated Cedar Crest College, 9-0, in five innings Thursday afternoon in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) single-game.
 
Immaculata improves to 13-11 overall and 10-2 in the CSAC. It marks the fifth-straight season that the Mighty Macs have reach double-digit wins in the conference. Cedar Crest slips to 8-10, 6-6.
 
Fitzgerald faced just two batters over the minimum, allowing one hit and walking one, while striking out eight hitters. It marked her 10th win this season in the circle. After Cedar Crest had a walk to lead off the second inning, Fitzgerald cruised the rest of the way retiring the final 12 batters.
 
Immaculata got on the scoreboard with a single run in the second. Brittany Merkle led off the inning reaching on a Cedar Crest fielding error, and Merkle scored on Jessica DeCastro's RBI single through the middle.
 
The Mighty Macs' bats came alive during the third and fourth innings, scoring three and five runs, respectively. In the third, Immaculata scored its three runs off four hits and one Falcon error. Christiana Donofry singled, and later scored on a RBI single by Merkle. Jenny Barnholt then singled home Melissa Ejk, who had reached on an error. Merkle scored the final run of the inning on DeCastro's sacrifice fly.
 
Immaculata plated five runs on six hits in the fourth led off by five straight singles. Holly Schell, Donofry and Ejk all singled to load the bases. Danielle Palmisano then singled down the left field line to score Schell. Merkle then singled up the middle to plate Donofry, and the Mighty Macs still had the bases loaded with no one out. Ejk later scored on Barnholt's grounder, and DeCastro hit a two-run triple down the line to score Patsy Murphy, who was running for Palmisano, and Merkle.
 
Immaculata finished with 13 hits, and every batter in the Mighty Macs' lineup got at least one hit. Donofry, Ejk and Merkle each collected two hits. DeCastro picked up four RBI, while Merkle and Barnholt had two RBI each.
 
Immaculata's next game will be Saturday when the Mighty Macs travel to Cairn at 1 p.m.