CLERMONT, Fla. — Plymouth State University scored five times in the top of the ninth and held on for an 11-8 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Thursday.
Lawrence (3-7) rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run at the plate before the Panthers got the final out.
The teams were tied 5-5 after seven innings, and Plymouth State got a run in the top of the eighth. Lawrence tied the game when Kara Vance singled to score Alissa Geipel in the bottom half of the inning.
The Panthers then struck for five runs in the ninth, but Lawrence rallied again. Mary Diduch tripled to score Vance and cut the lead to 11-7. After a ground out, Cory Paquette singled to score Diduch and trim the margin to 11-8. After a pop up, Alex Chiodo walked to put the tying run at the plate, but Geipel struck out to end the game.
Vance, Diduch and Cathy Kaye all went 2-for-4 for the Vikings. Kaye belted a homer, Diduch had a triple and Vance posted a double. Chiodo also picked up a pair of hits for the Vikings, and Shannon Murray had a triple and two runs batted in.
Plymouth State scored two in the top of the first, but the Vikings tied it in the bottom half of the inning. Chiodo singled and Geipel reached on an error to get the rally started. Murray then tripled to score both.
Lawrence went up 4-2 with two runs in the bottom of the third. After Kaye reached on an error and Chiodo walked Murray grounded out to score Kaye. Vance followed with a double to score Chiodo and put the Vikings up 4-2.
After Plymouth State scored three times in the top of the fifth to go up 5-4, Kaye homered to lead off the bottom half of the inning to tie it.