WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The No. 24 ranked West Chester (29-10) softball team welcomed a non-conference foe in Wilmington to the friendly confines on Wednesday afternoon for a midweek doubleheader. West Chester took game one 1-0 in dramatic fashion before falling 7-2 in game two.
Game One: WCU 1 Wilmington 0
- Game one was the very definition of a pitcher's duel as the two teams combined for just four hits through the first four innings of play.
- In the later innings, both sides showed signs of life offensively as they each found ways to get runners on and into scoring position but both pitchers were dominant as they each found ways to work out of any trouble.
- Finally in the bottom of the seventh, West Chester got its first two batters of the inning on base as Jamie Klemas (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) worked a walk before Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) reached via a fielders choice to put runners on second and third with no outs. Heidi McCollester (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) was next and while she produced a groundout to third she still succeeded in moving runners up a base to put runners on second and third with just one out. Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) took full advantage of this as she laced a single into the left center field gap to score Klemas and give West Chester the 1-0 win.
- Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) (19-3) picked up the win going seven strong innings scattering just five hits while striking out seven. Her counterpart Makayla McCarthy also pitched well for Wilmington surrendering just six hits and one run while striking out five Golden Rams.
Game Two: WCU 2 Wilmington 7
- Offense was not an issue for Wilmington in the second game of the day, as the Wildcats jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after a big top of the first inning. Wilmington never relinquished this early advantage en route to the 7-2 victory.
- West Chester cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third, when Cat Hammer (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) plated Madison Kelly (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) and Garber. West Chester threatened for more but the Golden Rams could not push anymore across in this half inning making the score 4-2 heading to the fourth.
- Wilmington broke through again in the top of the sixth, when thanks to some timely hitting, and smart base running the Wildcats were able to plate three more runs to make the score 7-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
- West Chester threatened over the course of the final two innings but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit.
- Maegen Kavanagh (Easton, Pa./Easton) got the start for West Chester and she lasted just 0.2 of an inning surrendering four earned runs as a result of a pair of hits and four walks including three in a row to load the bases with two outs. Kelly Tinsman (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) entered in relief and pitched very well going 4.1 surrendering just five hits and two runs while striking out two. Jen Hanshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) entered in relief and went 1.2 surrendering just two hits and one earned run. Brooke Harner (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) entered for the final inning and she pitched very well surrendering two hits while also striking out two to give West Chester a chance in the bottom of the seventh.
West Chester will be back in action on Friday afternoon when Shippensburg comes to town for a PSAC East doubleheader with major postseason implications beginning at 1 p.m.
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