NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Senior Hailey Sobieski drove in four runs on the day as the Lycoming College softball team beat Gwynedd Mercy, 7-5, before falling to Lancaster Bible, 5-4 , on Thursday at the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex.

In the morning contest, Gwynedd Mercy (2-5) took the lead in the top of the first on a two-run single from Kassidy Kehoe. However, Lycoming (3-3) immediately struck back when Sobieski blasted a double to the wall in left field to score senior Alex Eckerson in the bottom of the opening frame.

One inning later, Lycoming took control with a five-run second, all of which scored with two outs. Senior Kristen George, a Montoursville graduate, tied the game by roping an RBI triple to right-center, the first three-bagger of her career. After back-to-back walks loaded the bases and forced a pitching change, senior Mallory Rodarmel, a Loyalsock graduate, came through with a two-run single to right to break the deadlock. Sobieski followed with her own two-run hit, this time through the left side, putting the Warriors in front, 6-2.

In the fifth, Lycoming added to the lead when sophomore Ashley Forrest ripped a one-out double to left-center, then came around when junior Abby Becker came off the bench and stroked a pinch-hit RBI single to push the advantage to five runs.

Following the bumpy first frame, first-year starter Sage Smeltz settled down, striking out a pair in a 1-2-3 second, which kicked off a four-inning stretch in which she only allowed a pair of two-out singles. When the right-hander did run into some trouble in the sixth, as an error and a single put two on with one out, she induced a 5-3 double play to end the threat.

Gwynedd Mercy pulled closer in the seventh on a three-run triple by Hannah Smith, but with the tying run at the plate, first-year right-hander Destiny Novashinski recorded the final three outs in the circle in her collegiate debut.

Sobieski finished with two hits and three RBI, while Rodarmel tallied two hits and two RBI, and Eckerson walked twice and scored both times.