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WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Jill Murray hit a pinch-hit, walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one to lift host West Chester to a 4-2 victory. However, visiting Lock Haven came from behind in the nightcap to earn a split of its PSAC East softball doubleheader, 6-4, Saturday afternoon on South Campus.
West Chester (12-9, 1-1 PSAC East) and senior Jill Murray welcomed Lock Haven (6-11, 1-1) to the Eastern Division with a towering blast to left field that delivered the home opener and conference opener for both schools to the Golden Rams.
"I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere," Murray said. I was definitely not thinking 'home run'. But, I will take it.
"It is definitely a different (mental) approach because you haven't seen this pitcher yet."
Murray fouled the first pitch straight back to the backstop against Lock Haven reliever Rachel Mouillesseaux (2-5) and then took a couple of pitches, before hammering Mouillesseaux's next offering deep to left.
"After I fouled off that first pitch, I thought, 'Boy, if she throws me that again, I'm going to get all of it.' And she did."
With one out in the bottom of the seventh and West Chester trailing 2-1, pinch-hitter Charlotte Conaway walked, and J.P. Norris followed with a single. That set the stage for Murray's big blast.
The home run made a winner out of reliever Micaela McSpadden (6-0), who came on in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out and promptly got the Golden Rams out of trouble without allowing a run. She struck out Lock Haven's cleanup hitter and then got the No. 5-hole hitter to ground out to third.
West Chester cut Lock Haven's 2-0 lead in half in the fifth inning when Erin Quense reached on a fielding error by the Lady Eagles' third baseman and then pinch-runner Janessa Rios scored on a triple to right-center by Norris two batters later. Norris finished game one 2-for-3, reaching base three of her four times to the plate.
Katie Erb started and went 4.1 innings, yielding two runs on five hits while walking one and striking out two. McSpadden finished up, surrendering a pair of hits while walking one and striking out three.
In the nightcap, Lock Haven once again jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Lady Eagles plated a pair of runs in the first inning off of starter McSpadden, who was lifted after four batters in favor of Erb.
West Chester responded with one in the third, after Quense doubled and Norris then doubled home pinch-runner Shannon Gray. The Golden Rams took the lead with a three-run fourth inning rally that took place with two outs in the frame. Murray hit a RBI single and moved up to second on a throw home. Then, Quense and Anderson hit back-to-back doubles.
That lead was short-lived as Lock Haven answered with a four-run fifth. Erb loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, allowing two walks and a single up the middle. Murl was brought on to try to get the Rams out of yet another jam.
However, Lady Eagles' Erica Pooler hit a two-run double. McSpadden had shut the door on Lock Haven with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of game one, and Erb ended things in the first inning of game two with runners at the corners and one out earlier. But, the third time was the charm for Lock Haven.
Lock Haven's Jessie Probst (4-6), who started game one for the Lady Eagles, relieved starter Mouillesseaux and picked up the win for the visitors to earn the split of the league doubleheader.
Murray finished game two 2-for-3 with a RBI while Quense was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles. Murl was 2-for-3 as well.
Erb (2-5) suffered the loss in relief. She pitched four innings, allowing three runs on three hits, walking two and striking out two.
West Chester heads to Kutztown on Tuesday for another pivotal league doubleheader with the Golden Bears. The Rams will then travel to Chestnut Hill on Wednesday for a non-league double dip with the Griffins.
