WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The RV West Chester University softball team (34-11) was back in action this afternoon against a non-conference opponent in University of the Sciences (10-30). West Chester took both games winning game one 3-0 before taking game two 5-0.
Game One: WCU: 3 Sciences: 0
- In the first game of the day, U Sciences showed signs of life offensively in the early stages as the Devils managed to get back-to-back hits to open the game before the third batter of the game got hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases with no outs. Starting pitcher Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) remained unfazed as she settled down quickly and struck out the next three batters to keep the game scoreless heading to the bottom of the first.
- In the home half of the first, West Chester broke through thanks to an RBI sac fly from Alyssa Herion (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), which scored Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) to give West Chester an early lead.
- This lead grew in the second, when Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) singled back up the middle to score Emily Maseth (Westminster, Md./Westminster), thus, giving West Chester a 2-0 advantage.
- West Chester tacked on one more run in the fourth, when Ashley Flesch (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) doubled in Ali LaRosa (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) to extend the lead to 3-0.
- Houck only needed one as she was masterful over the course of her seven innings of work scattering just four hits while striking out 11 to improve to 22-3 on the year. Kyla Colburn pitched well for Sciences as she allowed just six hits and three runs over the course of her six innings of work but it was not enough in the loss.
Game Two: WCU: 5 Sciences: 0
- Pitching was a major factor in game two as well as Brooke Harner (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) was dominant this afternoon as she went the distance scattering just two hits while striking out seven using just 88 pitches to earn her first victory of the 2018 season. Kaitlyn Gaynor got the ball for Sciences and she went the distance as well surrendering eight hits and five runs while walking three and striking out two in the loss.
- The third inning proved to be the difference maker for West Chester as the Golden Rams exploded for five runs, which proved to be plenty in the shutout victory. Sara Ercolani (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) drove in the first runs of the game with a two-RBI single to left to give West Chester the 2-0 lead. Madison Kelly (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) followed this up with an RBI single of her own to extend the lead to 3-0. Maseth was next and she kept things rolling with a two-RBI single of her own to extend the lead to 5-0 heading to the fourth.
- This big inning was more the enough for West Chester as Harner and company kept Sciences quiet over the course of the final four innings of play to pick up the victory and improve to 34-11 on the year.
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when the team travels to Millersville for a crucial PSAC East battle with major playoff implications with that doubleheader scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m.
Â
