WILKES-BARRE, PA (March 26, 2019) -- The King's College softball team outlasted the visiting Lions of Penn State University-Brandywine 5-4 in nine innings in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader, using that momentum to take game two 7-3 to earn the sweep in play from Betzler Field Tuesday evening. King's moves to 7-8 overall, while Penn State Brandywine dropped to 3-10 on the season. 

Game 1: King's 5, PSU-Brandywine 4 - 9 Innings 
Sophomore Mindina Lieback delivered a walk-off, two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning to push the Monarchs to an extra inning victory. Penn State-Brandywine jumped out on top in the first, scoring an unearned run but King's answered in the bottom half thanks to a Taylor Norris RBI single. 

The Lions jumped back on top with two runs in the top of the third, but King's wouldn't go away. Freshman Kristi Ann Skok doubled to right field to lead off the bottom of the fourth, coming around on a double off the right-field wall by Gabriella Medina. 

The Monarchs would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, as Gabby Leary singled to right field to start the frame. After moving around to third a play prior, Leary would come around to score after pinch-hitter Marisa Mauro reached on a throwing error with two outs. 

In extra innings, Brandywine looked like it had taken the lead with no outs in the top of the eighth but Lieback threw out the potential run at the plate. The Lions would take a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly, but King's would come back in the bottom of the ninth. 

Freshman Lindsey Leppo singled to left field, moving pinch-runner Meghan Padden to third base. After Leppo stole second and Mackenzie Yori grounded out, Lieback came up with the game on the line and laced a double over the center fielders head to give KC the win. 

Norris was 3-for-4 with a RBI, while Medina finished 2-for-4 for the Monarchs. Sophomore pitcher Nicole Kirse went all nine for King's, moving to 2-4 on the season after allowing six hits and two earned runs while fanning seven Lion hitters. 

Game 2: King's 7, PSU-Brandywine 3
King's pounded out 11 hits in game two, led by another three-hit performance from Norris to earn the doubleheader sweep. PSU-Brandywine once again earned the lead in the opening frame, as Alyssa Sullivan doubled in two runs. 

The Monarchs answered with a hit barrage of their own, as Norris singled in Mackenzie Yori to get the scoring going. Two batters later, Leary would step up and smoke a double to left-center to plate both Norris and Lieback. Freshman Marisa Mauro would finish the rally for King's, as she singled to right field to bring Leary around and make the score 4-2. 

Sullivan would cut the Lions deficit in half with another run-scoring two-base hit in the third inning, but King's once again would respond immediately with two runs in the bottom half. Leary singled to center to start the inning, and Medina doubled two pitches later to put runners on second and third with no out. 

The Monarchs scored their fifth run when Leppo singled to right field to score Leary, and Yori followed with a run-scoring single during the next plate appearance to make it a 6-3 game. That was plenty for freshman pitcher Gianna Marsico, as she would hold the Lions scoreless over the last four innings to secure the win. 

Norris finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI, while Leary was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Yori added two hits in three at-bats for King's, and Mauro drove in a pair of runs. Marsico finished with a complete-game victory, scattering eight hits and two earned runs over seven innings, striking out two batters. 

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King's will return to action Thursday afternoon, March 28, traveling to Allentown, PA to take on Muhlenberg College for a non-league doubleheader at 3 p.m. at the Cedar Creek Fields.