LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Karns City graduate Alyssa Stitt and Clearfield graduate Emma Hipps were honored Monday by the PSAC as the PSAC West Athlete of the Week and PSAC West Pitcher of the Week respectively.
The pair powered the Golden Eagles to two doubleheader sweeps in the final four days of The Spring Games last week, as Clarion extended their win streak to six games.
Stitt is the second straight Golden Eagle to win a weekly conference award. Rachel Helsley won last week’s honor. Hipps is the first Golden Eagle pitcher to win the award this season.
Stitt brought punch on offense and defense, with the senior utility player starting two games apiece at shortstop and left field. She played well defensively in both while swinging a hot bat, going went 9-of-16 (.562) at the plate with four doubles, six runs scored, and six RBIs.
Several of those hits also came at big moments, as Stitt went 4-of-6 with runners in scoring position and successfully advanced runners on eight of 10 attempts. Notably, she drove in two runs in Clarion’s win over St. Cloud State on Tuesday, including the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning that gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good. Stitt was also responsible for a bases-clearing double in the win over Felician, turning a close game into a certain victory as the Golden Eagles beat the Golden Falcons 8-4.
Hipps, meanwhile was dominant in her two pitching appearances last week, throwing 14 innings without allowing a single run in picking up pitching wins over Wheeling (3/7) and College of Saint Rose (3/10). She entered in relief in the first inning against Wheeling on Tuesday and completely shut down the Cardinals’ offense, retiring the first 15 batters she faced; she allowed just three hits while striking out seven and walking none, as Clarion went on to win 8-3.
In Hipps’ start against the Golden Knights on Friday she was similarly dominant, retiring the first 11 batters of the game. She ultimately surrendered just two hits and three total baserunners (an error) while striking out 12 of her opponents. All told, Hipps allowed just five hits and no runs in 14 innings of work.
