SCRANTON, Pa. – No. 1 Penn College advances in the winner’s bracket of the 2023 ECAC Division III Softball Championship with a 1-0 win over No. 3 Saint Elizabeth University on Friday afternoon.  The Wildcats improve to 30-10 while the Eagles fall to 27-13. Penn will play tomorrow at noon and will face the winner of the Saint Elizabeth/Marywood elimination game that starts at 4 pm today.

Both teams went back and forth but were held scoreless for the first five innings of the contest.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth that the Wildcats were able to scratch across the first and only run of the game. With one out in the inning, Maddie Hurst singled through the left side and then stole second to move into scoring position. Following a ground to the shortstop, Hurst was able to move to third on the play. With the Wildcats down to its last chance in the frame, Hurst was able to score on a wild pitch to plate the team’s only run and go up, 1-0.

Saint Elizabeth threatened in the top of the seventh but left the tying run stranded at second as Penn was able to get the final out to ground out back to the pitcher.

Wildcat starting pitcher Mackenzie Weaver threw a complete game shutout allowing five hits and striking out 11 to earn the win. She improved to 17-6 on the season.

Kami DeGaetani took the loss for the Eagles to fall to 807 on the year. She allowed two hits over four innings while giving up one run and striking out two.

Hurst finished the day going 1-for-3 and a stolen base. She tallied one of Penn’s three hits.

Aimee Vega paced all hitters for both teams as she went 2-for-3 for Saint Elizabeth.