Millersville, Pa. — Big weeks by shortstop
Lindsay Hosier and pitcher
Alicia Hughes have culminated in Millersville softball's second sweeping of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division weekly awards this season. Hosier was named PSAC East Player of the Week and Hughes was selected as PSAC East Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon.
The awards are firsts for both players. Each played an integral role in the Marauders' (23-24) 4-2 week, which included a win over West Chester that kept the Golden Rams from winning the Eastern Division title outright.
Hosier's bat cranked out hits all week long, as she hit .480 (12-for-25) over the six game span. In Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of Lincoln the Glen Mills, Pa., native went 5-for-6 with seven runs scored and four RBIs. In game one alone, she was a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs scored. Hosier also placed herself in the Millersville record books last Wednesday. Her three stolen bases on the day gave her 26 for the season, breaking Meghan Sinback's single-season school record of 25, which was set in 2005. In addition, Hosier registered two doubles to break both the single-season and career record for doubles. Her 15th of the season bypassed the 14 that Shaina Briel hit in 2008, and was the 41st of her career, also surpassing Briel's career record of 40, which she amassed from 2006-09.
With Hosier's record-breaking day behind her, she spent the weekend taking the ball out of the park. On Friday at Shippensburg, she nailed a two-run homer in game one to give the Marauders an early 2-1 lead. MU would win the game 6-3. Game two saw Hosier go 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Hosier saved her most dramatic at-bat for Saturday's Senior Day. With the bases full, the Millersville senior went deep for her first career grand slam and fifth home run of the season. The five home runs are a new career-high for Hosier, who has also set new career marks in hits, doubles, RBIs, runs scored, and stolen bases.
In the nightcap against West Chester, Hosier hit her 16th double of the season and scored a pair of runs as the Marauders dealt the Golden Rams a 9-6 defeat and kept them from beating Kutztown for the division title outright.
As important as Hosier's bat was for Millersville, Hughes' left arm carried equal responsibility for the team's impressive week. The freshman threw 15.1 innings in three appearances last week and had an ERA under one (0.91).
In Wednesday's game-two win over Lincoln, Hughes threw four innings of no-hit ball and struck out five.
Lisa Rich came on to pitch the fifth inning as the two combined on a no-hitter.
Hughes was not awarded with a decision in her start against Shippensburg. She threw 4.1 innings and allowed three runs, but none of them were earned. She scattered six hits and struck out one.
The Quakertown, Pa., product then earned the victory in Millersville's 9-6 win over WCU by firing a complete-game seven-hitter. She gave up just two earned runs and struck out three. She did not walk a batter in the game.
Hughes is now 8-7 on the season and this past week she held opposing hitters to a .203 batting average.
Millersville wraps up its season Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader at Shepherd.