West Chester Splits Its Final Two Games In Florida

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CLERMONT, Fla. – West Chester closed out its Florida trip during spring break with a 9-0 shutout over Minnesota-Crookston Wednesday morning at the National Training Complex. That win followed an 11-4 setback to Illinois-Springfield earlier in the day.
 
West Chester (11-8) ended a four-game slide with its shutout over Crookston. The Golden Rams finish their spring break trip 5-4 overall at the Dot Richardson Spring Games. West Chester won its first four down south.
 
Micaela McSpadden (5-0) pitched the complete-game shutout in the second game to remain perfect on the season inside the circle. McSpadden scattered three hits over seven innings and struck out six. She did not walk a batter.
 
Kim Murl went 2-for-2 with a pair RBI in the win. Kim Begley went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Ali Vavala was also 2-for-2. J.P. Norris scored a pair of runs, had a hit and drove in a run.
 
The Golden Rams jumped on Minnesota-Crookston early, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning and adding another in the second. The Rams tacked on three more in the fourth and followed that up with one in the sixth and two in the seventh.
 
In the opener, UIS scored seven runs in the third inning, chasing Murl (3-3), en route to the 11-4 triumph. West Chester tallied three in the bottom half of the inning to crawl within five  at 8-3, but UIS added two more in the fifth and a single marker in the seventh.
 
Megan Kelly was 2-for-2 with a RBI. Begley went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Murl also knocked in a run.
 
West Chester returns north for its home opener on Saturday against Lock Haven. The conference doubleheader will get under way on South Campus at 1 p.m. This marks the first year that the Lady Eagles are in the Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.