Kissimmee, Fl. (March 6, 2025) - Alvernia University (4-4) combined for 20 runs and 27 hits in a sweep of its Thursday games as part of its spring break trip to The Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida.

Alvernia started the day by run-ruling Chatham, 11-2, in five innings. The Golden Wolves then secured the Thursday sweep with a 9-5 win over Johnson and Wales University to move to .500 on the week.

Ryann Healey recorded the complete game win in her first career start, and Jaclyn Barbera reached the 100 hit milestone with her second hit against Johnson and Wales to highlight the day for the Golden Wolves.

Game One: Chatham
Score: Alvernia 11, Chatham 2 (5 inn.)
Records: Alvernia (3-4), Chatham (2-7)
Hits: Alvernia 11, Chatham 5
Errors: Alvernia 1, Chatham 0
WP: Ryann Healey (2-1)     LP: Cailyn Lucas (0-3)

How it Happened

• Alexia Fitzgerald led off the bottom of the first for Alvernia with an infield single, then made her way to third on a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt by Mady Polonsky. Fitzgerald then came around and scored off the bat of Brooke Hauck to make it a 1-0 game through the first inning.
• Alvernia added onto its lead in the top of the second with a leadoff double from Angelina Sponheimer and a walk by Taylor McClain. Jaclyn Barbera then drove in Sponheimer with a single that landed just fair of the left field line. Alexa Ullrich then drove in McClain with a single up the middle to give the Golden Wolves the 3-0 lead. Fitzgerald kept it rolling for Alvernia and scored Barbera on a fielder's choice to shortstop to make it 4-0 going into the third.
• Chatham got on the board in the top of the third, scoring its first run of the game on a bases-loaded single to right.  The Cougars then made it a 4-2 game on a groundout to first base. 
• The Golden Wolves added back to their lead in their half of the third, with Hauck leading off the inning on a hard hit triple that made it through the left side and kept rolling. Ullirch then drove in another run for Alvernia on a blooper that fell between the second baseman and right and center fielders to score Sponheimer and give Alvernia the 6-2 lead. Alvernia continued to pass the bat, and Payton Splain drove in Barbera on a two-out double to left field to give Alvernia the 7-2 lead. Polonsky then joined in on the scoring, bringing in Fitzgerald and Splain on a single to center to make it a 9-2 game. Alvernia officially batted around, and Hauck recorded her second triple of the inning to clear the bases and give Alvernia the 11-2 lead going into the fourth.
• Alvernia's defense, behind Ryann Healey making her first career start in the circle, retired the final six Cougars of the game in order to secure the 11-2 win for the Golden Wolves

Alvernia Offensive Leaders
Brooke Hauck: 2-for-3, 2 Triples, 3 RBIs, 1 Run
Alexa Ullrich: 2-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 Run
Mady Polonsky: 1-for-2,, 2 RBIs, 1 Run

Alvernia Pitching
Ryann Healey (W): 5 IP, 2 Runs, 1 Earned Run, 2 BB, 2 SO

Game Two: JWU
Score: Alvernia 9, JWU 5
Records: Alvernia (4-4), JWU (3-5)
Hits: Alvernia 16, JWU 7
Errors: Alvernia 1, JWU 2
WP: Ashlyn Hillanbrand (1-1)     LP: Jillian Reed (0-1)     Save: Natalie Berwick (1)

How it Happened

• Alvernia put its first two batters on base with singles from both Alexia Fitzgerald and Summer Montgomery. Both advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt by Brooke Hauck. Fitzgerald came home and scored on a single to right by Meryn Bellacima to give Alvernia the 1-0 lead. Montgomery then scored on a blooper over the left field line by Angelina Sponheimer to make it an early 2-0 game. A double from Taylor McClain kept Alvernia rolling and made it a 3-0 game as Bellacima came home on the play. Alvernia added two more on a bases-clearing double off the bat of Jaclyn Barbera to make it 5-0. Kaili Bunnell kept the inning alive for Alvernia, running out a dribbler at 1st to prevent the third out and allow Barbera to score, making it 6-0. 
• JWU got two runs back - both with two outs - in its half of the first. The Wildcats hit a triple that rolled to the right field fence to score their first, and added their second on a high-bouncing ball to second that gave the batter time to beat out the play.
• Barbera led off Alvernia's side of the third inning with her 100th career hit, and then came home on a home run to center field by Payton Splain to give Alvernia the 8-2 lead through the top of the third. JWU got two runs back in the bottom of the third on a two-run double
• After a scoreless fourth and fifth innings, Alvernia added on to its lead in the top of the sixth. Bellacima led off the inning reaching on an error, and Gianna Ordanoff came into pinch run for her. Ordanoff then came around to score later in the inning on a bases loaded walk. JWU got out of the bases loaded jam to limit Alvernia to just the one run as the Golden Wolves took the 9-4 lead into the bottom of the sixth. 
• The Wildcats plated a run in the bottom of the sixth on a 2-out single up the middle. But, Alvernia limited the threat to just the one run as the Golden Wolves took the 9-5 lead into the seventh. The Golden Wolves then retired the Wildcats 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to take the 9-5 win and secure the Thursday sweep.

Alvernia Offensive Leaders
Summer Montgomery: 3-for-5, 1 Run Scored
Angelina Sponheimer: 3-for-5, 1 Run Scored, 1 RBI
Taylor McClain: 3-for-4, 2 doubles, 1 Run Scored, 1 RBI
Jaclyn Barbera: 2-for-3, 2 Runs Scored, 3 RBIs, 1 BB

Alvernia Pitching
Ashlyn Hillanbrand (W): 5.2 IP, 7 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 Earned Runs, 4 BB, 3 SO
Natalie Berwick (S): 1.1 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 Earned Runs, 0 BB, 0 SO

Up Next
Alvernia closes out its Florida swing on Friday with games against Illinois College and Suffolk University.