WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Following a handful of weather-related postponements, the West Chester University softball team finally held its home opener on Tuesday afternoon, as the team welcomed Shepherd University to town for a non-conference doubleheader.
The Golden Rams (15-8) rode the arm of senior
Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa. / Pequea Valley) to a 5-0 victory to start the afternoon, before the visitor's bats came alive for 13 hits in the second game to give propel Shepherd (13-7) to the 7-3 win in Tuesday's nightcap.
Game One: West Chester - 5 | Shepherd - 0
- Tuesday's opening game proved to be a pitcher's duel early on, as Houck and Shepherd's Taylor Stocks allowed a combined one hit through the first five innings of action.
- After Houck kept the Rams off the board in the top of the fifth, West Chester made its move in the bottom of the fifth frame. With one out in the fifth, Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa. / Kutztown) connected on a single out to center field on a 2-2 count to score Madison Kelly (Whitehall, Pa. / Whitehall) and put the Golden Rams on top 1-0.
- Heidi McCollester (West Chester, Pa. / Henderson) followed with a two-RBI double down the left field line (scoring both Caroline Adams (Media, Pa. / Renaissance Academy) and Alyssa Herion (Avon Grove, Pa. / Avon Grove)) to push the home team's advantage to 3-0.
- With her team leading 3-0, Sara Ercolani (Downingtown, Pa. / Downingtown East) singled in Sarah Byham (Westampton, N.J. / Holy Cross) to extend WCU's lead to 4-0, before Cat Hammer (Philadelphia, Pa. / Archbishop Ryan) ended the scoring by singling in Annamarie Hartman (Phoenix, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep) to put the Golden Rams up 4-0 through five frames.
- Although West Chester was not able to add any more runs in final two innings, it did not matter as Houck was lights outs down the stretch – holding the Rams hitless across the final two stanzas to seal the 5-0 victory for West Chester to start the day.
Five WCU individuals logged one hit in the opener, with McCollester adding a double and a team-high two RBI for the Golden Rams.
On the mound, Houck (9-3) notched her fifth complete game of the season after allowing no runs on just four hits with eight strikeouts.
Game Two: West Chester – 3 | Shepherd - 7
- Shepherd wasted no time putting up runs in game two, tacking on two runs in the top of the first to put the visitors on top 2-0 early.
- The Golden Rams loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning and brought one runner across after Hartmann walked on four-straight pitches.
- The Rams added three more runs over the next innings of action to push their advantage to 5-1 through five.
- The visitors tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth to extend the cushion to 7-1, before Hammer connected on a two-RBI double to hack the Shepherd advantage to 7-3 entering the final frame.
- After a scoreless top of the seventh, the Golden Rams' evening ended with a strikeout, groundout, and a lineout to hand the visitors the 7-3 victory in Tuesday's nightcap.
Hammer and Herion both recorded two hits in Tuesday's finale, with Hammer adding a team-high two RBI in the losing effort.
Maegen Kavanagh (Easton, Pa. / Easton) (2-5) got the loss in game two after surrendering two runs (both earned) on two hits.
