The United Lions will venture away from home to square off against the Penns Manor Comets at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. United comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
United came up short against Northern Cambria on Wednesday, falling 14-2.
Kenedi Fiochetta made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That run was her first of the season. Mya Lichtenfels was another key player, getting on base in two of her three plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Penns Manor, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Everything went their way against Portage on Tuesday as they made off with a 9-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Comets, who have now won three games by six runs or more so far this season.
Allie Rhea made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Rhea was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. She is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as she's now brought in four or more in each of the last three games she's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sydney Luther, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Alexa Rhea, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Penns Manor's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for United, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.
United came up short against Penns Manor when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 6-2. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
