WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (30-17) was back in action on Monday afternoon on the road against a non-conference foe in Goldey-Beacom. West Chester captured the first game of the afternoon by a final score of 5-1 before coming back to capture game two by a final score of 3-2.
Game One: WCU 5 GBC 1
- West Chester raced out to an early 1-0 lead when Emily Maseth (Westminster, Md./Westminster) laced a triple to left center to score Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) who had lead the game off with a bunt single two innings earlier.
- In the third inning, Goldey Beacom answered back with a run of its own to tie the game at 1-1 heading to the fourth.
- During the fourth inning of play, West Chester broke the tie once again as headsup base running allowed both Heidi McCollester (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and Caroline Adams (Media, Pa./Renaissance Academy) to score off a fielders choice from Annamarie Hartman (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep), which gave West Chester a 3-1 lead.
- In the home half of the fifth, Goldey-Beacom threatened after registering back-to-back singles, which closed the book on Kelly Tinsman (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) who exited in favor of Maegen Kavanagh (Easton, Pa./Easton). Kavanagh managed to work out of trouble thanks to a pair of strikeouts to end the inning to preserve the Golden Rams 3-1 lead heading to the top of the sixth.
- In the top of the seventh, West Chester added to its lead as the Golden Rams pushed two more runs across with Maseth driving in Garber once again before Maseth came around to score off an RBI groundout from McCollester, which pushed the lead to 5-1 heading to the home half of the seventh.
- Tinsman tossed four innings for West Chester ending her afternoon allowing just one run while scattering four hits and striking out three to improve to 4-3 on the season. Kavanagh recorded her second save of the season in relief as she pitched the final three innings surrendering just one hit while striking out three to secure the victory for the Golden Rams.
Game Two: WCU 3 GBC 2
- Goldey-Beacom scored the first run of the contest during the first inning of play via an RBI fielders choice to claim its first lead of the contest at 1-0.
- In the top of the fifth, West Chester threatened as Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) reached via a leadoff single and pinch-runner Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) found her way over to third base before the inning ended with a groundout back to the pitcher to send the game to the bottom of the fifth with West Chester trailing by one.
- In the top of the sixth, West Chester's offense came back to life as the Golden Rams scored three runs to claim a 3-1 lead that they would never relinquish. Hartman reached safely via a fielding error to give a runner on first with just one out before coming around to score when Maseth reached via a throwing error to even the score at 1-1. Maseth scored moments later on an RBI triple from McCollester before McCollester found her way home via a wild pitch to give West Chester a 3-2 lead.
- This two-run cushion proved to be vital as Goldey-Beacom scored one more run in the home half of the seventh but this is all the Lightning would get in the 3-2 defeat.
- Rachel Butler (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) got the start in the circle and went four innings surrendering one run on three hits while striking out a pair before exiting in favor of Jen Hanshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley). Hanshaw pitched the next 1.1 scattering just two hits and one walk to earn the victory in relief. Reilly Gearhart (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) entered in relief of Hanshaw and closed out the contest allowing just one unearned run on two hits while striking out one to register the save for West Chester.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Friday afternoon at home opposite Millersville beginning at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as Friday afternoon will be Senior Day for the Golden Rams as the team will honor its four seniors prior to First Pitch of game one on Friday afternoon.
