Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - West Chester University split a PSAC East softball doubleheader with host East Stroudsburg University on Friday afternoon, falling 5-4 in eight innings in the opener before taking the nightcap, 8-5.
West Chester (24-16, 4-8 PSAC East) kept alive its hopes for one of the three playoff positions, but still trail third-place East Stroudsburg (17-14, 4-6) in the conference standings. The two schools split their four head-to-head contests this year.
ESU's Amanda Dice singled to left with one out in the top of the eighth inning, and WCU left fielder Erin MacNamee misplayed the ball in the outfield, allowing pinch-runner Caitlin Rosenbaum to score all the way from first base with the game-winning run.
That error ruined a two-out, three-run rally in the top half of the seventh inning that erased East Stroudsburg's 4-1 lead in West Chester's final at bats. MacNamee played a major role in that rally with a two-run triple to left-center that plated pinch-runner Mandy Gerhart and Stef Kerbacher. Evelyn Anderson then hit an infield single, which scored MacNamee with the tying run.
Shannon Padula (13-9) went the distance, surrendering five runs, four of them earned, on 15 hits while striking out one and walking nobody. Jennifer Bensinger (9-7) got the win for the Warriors, tossing a complete-game while allowing four runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out two.
Meghan Halberstadt doubled home MacNamee with two outs in the first inning to put West Chester on top, 1-0. East Stroudsburg answered with two in its half of the first and then tacked on two more in the bottom of the third.
Moving up to the third position in the batting order from her usual spot in the No. 5 hole, Halberstadt got the visitors going once again in the nightcap with an RBI double in the top of the first. Kate Kmiencinski later doubled home Halberstadt as the Golden Rams took a 2-0 lead.
East Stroudsburg answered with two of its own in the bottom half of the frame. However, West Chester immediately restored its two-run lead with a pair of runs in the second. Kristin McCoy led off the inning with a solo shot to left-center. After an out, MacNamee doubled and Anderson singled her home to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
The Warriors cut that deficit in half in the third, but West Chester put up three more runs in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Halberstadt hit a sacrifice fly, and Kmiencinski and Padula each produced run-scoring singles to give WCU a 7-3 lead.
Padula picked up the win, yielding another five runs, only four of which were earned again, on eight hits. She struck out four and did not walk anybody.
