FAYETTEVILLE — Inning after inning, Chambersburg and pitcher Issie Slimmer managed to cling to a 1-0 lead over Central Dauphin, thanks to a run in the bottom of the first inning.

But the Rams kept pecking away and putting runners on base and it eventually paid off. CD scored a run in the top of the sixth to tie the game 1-1 and another in the seventh to steal a 2-1 Mid Penn Commonwealth softball victory Tuesday afternoon at Norlo Park.

Kylee Perry

Meanwhile, after giving up the first-inning run, Rams pitcher Autumn Andreoli was nearly untouchable. After Marley Onomastico’s RBI single in the first, Andreoli sat down 16 consecutive Trojans to allow her team to take the lead.

Chambersburg coach Chris Skultety said, “If you get the kind of pitching and defense we had today against CD, the offense has to do more to get us a win. And we’re going to need to figure it out because we’re playing some good teams now.”

Andreoli, a left-hander, consistently pounded the outside part of the plate and the Trojans did not adjust well. She struck out 10 batters, allowed only 4 hits and no walks, and induced 9 fly-outs.

“When we did get situations with runners on base, we could not get the ball on the ground,” Skultety said, “We’ve been working on that in practice, but we haven’t been doing it in games.”

In the first inning, Erissa Varner led off with a single to right, stole second and raced home on a scalded, 2-out single to center by Onomastico.

The only other Trojan threat came in the bottom of the seventh when Kylee Perry led off with a single and two outs later, Hensley Brookens roped a base hit to center. But Andreoli ended the game with another whiff.

In the first game of the season, an 8-6 win by Chambersburg (9-3, 6-2 MPC) over CD, the Trojans got to Andreoli for 5 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings.

“We know that she throws that way (on the outside corner) all of the time,” Skultety said. “We got to her a little last time, but not today.”

Slimmer did her best to hold the fort against the Rams (9-1, 7-1 MPC), who have been on a tear, winning 9 straight games now, and scoring double figures in runs in 7 of them.

She allowed 8 hits, walked 2 and hit 2 batters, but she stranded 3 runners in scoring position through 5 innings.

“For Slimmer to hold them where she did for that long was really good,” Skultety said. “She ended up getting beat on two hits that weren’t hit that hard but found a hole.”

In the sixth, Slimmer got the first two outs, but that was followed by a hit from Brynn Barkley, a walk to Rosie Reese and a single by Alyssa Hill. Slimmer hit Kayla Fletcher with a pitch to lead off the seventh. She was bunted to second and scored on Gabby Shirk’s soft base hit to right.