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Box Score 2
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Golden Rams' pitching staff combined to hold East Stroudsburg to one unearned run over 14 innings, and the WCU offense crossed the plate 16 times in a doubleheader sweep of ESU on Friday afternoon at Zimbar Field on the campus of East Stroudsburg. West Chester took game one by a score of 10-1 and shutout ESU 6-0 in game two. The sweep pushes the current winning streak to 19 games, which breaks the 17-game winning streak the purple and gold attained to start the season.
The West Chester (39-3, 10-0) offense got started early in game one, scoring two runs in the top half of the first.
Madison Kelly (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) singled to lead off the game. Prior to advancing to third on a
Sarah Walasavage (Minersville, Pa./Minersville) bunt single, Kelly swiped her 22
nd bag of the season.
Sara Ercolani (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases for
Laura Altenburger (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy). An Altenburger bases-loaded walk and
Micaela McSpadden (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) RBI groundout put WCU in front 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, ESU (15-17, 1-11) scored their lone run of the day to make it a 2-1 ballgame.
ESU pitching was able to keep the Golden Rams' bats quiet in the second through the fifth. However, the WCU offense erupted for five runs in the sixth inning and added another three in the seventh.
Back-to-back singles by Kelly and Walasavage led off the sixth. An RBI double off the bat of Ercolani scored Kelly, and extended the West Chester lead to 3-1. Back-to-back walks of Altenburger and
Cat Hammer (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) gave WCU a 4-1 edge. With the bases still loaded, West Chester extended the lead to 5-1 when a pitch hit McSpadden.
Alyssa Herion (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) pushed the lead to 6-1 with an RBI sacrifice fly. WCU's final run of the inning occurred when pinch runner
Haley Taylor (Perkaise, Pa./Pennridge) crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
Still leading 7-1 in the seventh, freshman
Heidi McCollester (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) delivered a pinch-hit single to start the inning. Walasavage followed a Kelly single with her third triple of the season, adding two insurance runs. WCU took a 10-1 lead when Walasavage crossed the plate on an Altenburger single.
In the bottom of the seventh, a leadoff walk followed by a single put runners on first and second for ESU. However,
Brooke Harner (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett Square) was called on to relieve starting pitcher
Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) and the sophomore struck out all three hitters she faced. Houck (14-3) earned the win, allowing one unearned run on four hits. The southpaw struck out five.
Kelly and Walasavage each collected three hits in game one and both scored three times.
In game two,
Katie Erb (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) tossed a gem. Erb's fourth complete game shutout of the season earned her a 10-0 record inside the circle. The senior pitcher scattered five hits and struck out three ESU hitters.
Kelly led off game two with her PSAC leading sixth triple of the season. However, she was stranded at third base.
McSpadden doubled in the second inning and scored on a Herion RBI double. A single off the bat of
Monica Twardowski (Boothwyn, Pa./Padua Academy) scored Herion, giving WCU a 2-0 lead after one and a half innings.
West Chester tacked on three runs in the sixth inning highlighted by a Herion two-RBI triple, and a Walasavage single that scored pinch runners
Shannon Grey (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and
Lexi Trumbetti (Burlington Twp., N.J./Burlinton Twp.).
McSpadden singled in the seventh inning and crossed the plate on a Herion double that gave the purple and gold a 6-0 lead.
McSpadden and Herion both were 3-for-4 in game two, and Herion racked up four RBI's.
Through 42 games the WCU pitching staff has accumulated an impressive 1.42 ERA.
West Chester travels to Millersville tomorrow afternoon for another PSAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
