Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
CALIFORNIA, Pa. – West Chester scored three runs in the fourth inning of game two and rode the right arm of Kim Murl to victory as the Golden Rams earned a split of its doubleheader on the road against eighth-ranked California (Pa.) Saturday afternoon at Lilley Field.
West Chester (27-16) handed No. 8 Cal (26-2) just its second defeat of the season, ending the Vulcans’ 12-game winning streak. Cal was also ranked first in the initial NCAA Atlantic Region poll, which came out on Wednesday. The Golden Rams were ranked fifth in that same poll. West Chester won game one, 4-1, after dropping the opener, 2-0.
Jill Murray was a combined 3-for-6 in the doubleheader. Kelly Anderson went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in that decisive fourth inning of game two. Ali Vavala was 2-for-3 with a RBI in that fourth inning as well.
However, Murl (4-1) was the story of the day inside the circle. She went the distance, scattering eight hits and allowing just one run. She did not walk a batter and struck out one. Murl took a shutout into the seventh inning where Cal hit a solo home run. But, it was all the offense the Vulcans could muster.
In the opener, Cal scored single tallies in the first and fourth. But, it was all they needed to get the 2-0 win. West Chester managed just four hits and left six runners on base.
In 14 innings against one of the top-ranked programs in the country, West Chester’s pitching allowed just three runs on 13 hits. Devon Utterback (14-8) suffered the loss in game one.
The Golden Rams travel to No. 15 Shippensburg on Sunday for a PSAC East doubleheader against the Raiders. Shippensburg is also ranked second in the Atlantic Region poll.
