Mounties Open 20th Anniversary of Helen Lutes Field with 3-2 over Millersville behind Inman's 3-Hitter – Miller Drives in Winning Run

MANSFIELD – Megan Miller drove in two runs including the game-winner and Ashley Inman allowed just one earned run in going the distance to lead Mansfield to a 3-2 win over Millersville in the opening game of a PSAC doubleheader Thursday afternoon at Helen Lutes Field.

Millersville won the nightcap 7-3.

The doubleheader was the 2015 home opener for the Mountaineers and begins a season-long celebration marking the 20th anniversary of Helen Lutes Field.

In the opener, Millersville drew first blood scoring a run in the first inning on a Mountaineer throwing error.

Mansfield came right back two innings later when Kayla Hahn doubled down the right field line to leadoff the third inning for Mansfield. With freshman Nkki Watkins running for Hahn, Laura Lawson laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. Courtney Bauder followed with an RBI single to left to tie the game at 1-1 before Miller put the Mountaineers up 2-1 with a two out single to plate Bauder.

Millersville tied the game in the top of the fourth when Brittany Smith took a 3-2 pitch over the leftfield fence to lead off the inning to tie the game at 2-2.

Mansfield came right back and scored what proved to be the winning run when Laura Lawson led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left and was sacrificed to second by Bauder. One out later, Miller doubled down the left field line to score Lawson giving Mansfield a 3-2 advantage.

Inman retired the last six batters of the game, including striking out Millersville final hitter on a 3-2 count, to preserve the Mountaineers first conference win of the season. The junior went all seven innings scattering three hits while striking out four and walking none to pick up her fifth win in eight decision this season.

Mansfield pounded out eight hits with Miller going 2-3 with d double and two RBI's. Hahn also doubled for the Mountaineers.

Cassidy Pinchorski went the distance and took the loss for Millersville.

The win was the 391st in head coach Edith Gallagher's 24-year coaching career and moves her to nine wins of become the first female coach in Mountaineer history to reach the 400 win milestone.

In the nightcap, Millersville got a pair of runs on a single by Brittany Smith off Mountaineer starter Chelsey Heatley. The Marauders picked up two more runs in the third inning keyed by a solo home run by Jordan Sheffield.

Mansfield struggled to get its offense started in the nightcap with just two hits over the first five innings with Amanda Goodwin doubling to lead off the fourth and freshman Morgan Boyce singling with one out in the fifth.

The Mountaineers attempted a late game rally when freshman Rachael Sterner led off the bottom of the seventh belting her first collegiate home run over the left field fence followed by a double from freshman Casey Pearce.

Two outs later, freshman Melanie Taylor drilled a double over the head of the leftfielder scoring Pierce and cutting the lead to 7-2.

Bauder reached on an error one batter later and Taylor raced home on the play to pull to 7-3 before Millersville recorded the final out of the game.

Heatley took the loss for Mansfield while Brianna Andraos went the distance allowing five hits and striking out three.

Mansfield's doubleheader at East Stroudsburg for Friday has been postponed with the Mountaineers scheduled to travel to Shippensburg on Saturday.