Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – No. 24 West Chester benefited from remarkable pitching and opportune two-out hitting on Monday morning in Clermont, Fla. at the PFX Games. The Golden Rams (16-0) shutout Cedarville University 2-0 and defeated Ashland University 4-1.
WCU was out-hit by Cedarville in game one eight-to-five. However, the Golden Rams' timely hits and combined shutout inside the circle by
Brooke Harner (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett Square) and
Katie Erb (Douglasville, Pa./Daniel Boone) led to a tight 2-0 victory.
Allowing only five hits in four innings of work, Harner (6-0) picked up the win for the Golden Rams. She struck out three Cedarville batters.
Erb relieved Harner in the fifth inning and closed the game en route to her fourth save of the season. Erb now sits two saves shy of becoming the PSAC Career Saves Leader.
Cat Hammer (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) led off the top half of the second with one of her two hits, a single to right field. With two outs in a scoreless game,
Hayley Bollinger (Maytown, Pa./Donegal) smacked an RBI triple giving the Golden Rams a 1-0 lead.
With two outs in the bottom half of the third,
Madison Kelly (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) tripled to the right center gap.
Sara Ercolani (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) knocked in Kelly on an RBI single giving the Golden Rams a 2-0 lead.
Solid pitching from both sides put zeros on the scoreboard for the final four innings resulting in a 2-0 win.
Scoreless through two innings of play in game two, WCU put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the top half of the third. A bases-clearing, two-out double off the bat of
Laura Altenburger (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) provided a 3-0 lead.
Again with two outs,
Micaela McSpadden (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) added an insurance run in the fifth inning. McSpadden's RBI double extended West Chester's lead to 4-0.
Bollinger and
Sarah Walasavage (Minersville, Pa./Minersville) collected two hits apiece in game two.
Ashland would score a lone, unearned run in the bottom of the seventh. However,
Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) forced weak Ashland contact for seven innings en route to her fifth complete game. Houck (7-0) allowed four Ashland hits and struck out three batters in the 4-1 WCU victory.
West Chester will take tomorrow off. The Golden Rams are back on the field in sunny Clermont, Fla. on Wednesday against Urbana University and University of Charleston (2015 NCAA Atlantic Regional runner-up). Games are scheduled for 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. starts.
