WEST CHESTER, Pa.- On a sunny and breezy afternoon the West Chester university softball team (24-9) welcomed Goldey-Beacom (2-21) to the friendly confines of the West Chester softball field and the Golden Rams took both winning game one 8-0 before taking game two 9-1.
Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) and
Kelly Tinsman (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) led the way in the circle for the Golden Rams as they both spun complete game gems to pick up their 16
th and sixth victories of the season.
Game One: WCU 8 Goldey-Beacom 0
- West Chester got on the board first when Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) drove a double into right center to score Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) and give West Chester the early 1-0 lead.
- This lead grew once again in the fourth, when Garber delivered another RBI single to plate Sara Ercolani (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East), which increased the lead to 2-0.
- In the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Rams closed out the game with a huge six run inning, which was jump started by a solo home run from Cat Hammer (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan). This lead grew a few batters later when Ercolani delivered a two RBI double to left center to score Madison Kelly (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) and Emily Maseth (Westminster, Md./Westminster), which made the lead 5-0. From here West Chester reloaded the bases and then cleared the bases after a dropped fly ball in right center field off the bat of Alyssa Herion (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), which extended the lead to 8-0 and ended the game after five innings.
- Houck got the start in the circle and she was masterful all day surrendering just one hit during the second inning of play while mowing down five Goldey-Beacom batters en route to her team-leading 16th victory of the season.
Game Two: WCU 9 Goldey-Beacom 1
- Goldey-Beacom had a start to game two with a one run and five hit first inning of play to take the early 1-0 lead to the bottom of the first.
- This lead held up until the bottom of the second when West Chester scored three runs of its own thanks to RBI singles from Stump and Herion as well as an RBI groundout from Garber to give the Golden Rams the 3-1 lead after two innings of play.
- West Chester tacked on another five runs in the bottom of the third, thanks to an RBI sac bunt from Stump, another RBI single from Garber and a massive three-run home run off the bat of freshman Jamie Klemas (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) to make the score 8-1 in favor of the Golden Rams.
- This lead grew one more time in the home half of the fifth, when Garber recorded yet another RBI single to right, which scored Sarah Byham (Westampton, N.J./Holy Cross) to give West Chester the 9-1 victory.
- Tinsman settled down after rocky first inning of work and allowed just two hits over the course of her next four innings while striking out one to pick up her sixth victory of the season.
Garber had a huge afternoon as she went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored in game one before going 2-for-4 with another three RBIs and a run scored in game two.
With two shortened victories this afternoon West Chester has now won six of its last eight home games in six innings or less outscoring opponents at home 61-8 over that span.
West Chester is back in action on Saturday afternoon when the Golden Rams travel to PSAC East rival Kutztown for a pivotal PSAC East doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
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