QUAKERTOWN, Pa.- In need of a pair of wins to advance to the PSAC Championship game for the second year in a row, West Chester battled against a familiar foe in reigning PSAC Champion Gannon. Gannon captured the victory with a three-run outburst in the later innings to win by a final score of 8-7.
Gannon raced out to an early 3-0 lead during the first inning to claim an early three-run lead. West Chester answered back with a run of its own during the top of the second thanks to a SAC Fly from Jaime Klemas (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) to trim the deficit to 3-1.
Gannon answered back with two more runs during the home half of the second, which enabled the Golden Knights to claim a commanding 5-1 lead.
West Chester answered back quickly with four runs of its own courtesy of an RBI double from Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) and a pair of two-run home runs from Klemas and Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) gave West Chester a 6-5 lead heading to the home half of the fourth.
Gannon answered back with three runs of its own during the home half of the fifth and sixth innings to claim an 8-7 lead heading to the seventh inning.
In the seventh, West Chester threatened but the Golden Rams failed to push across the tying run as the Golden Rams fell by a final score of 8-7.
Reilly Gearhart (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) got the start and lasted just one inning surrendering three runs on three hits while striking out just one. Maegen Kavanagh (Easton, Pa./Easton) entered in relief and went the next three innings surrendering four runs on five hits while striking out a pair. Jen Hanshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) (6-5) ended the game in the circle surrendering one run on two hits in the loss.
This defeat brings West Chester's stay in the PSAC Tournament to its conclusion and will now force the Golden Rams to wait for the Selection Show to learn their fate, which will air on NCAA.com on Monday morning at 10 a.m.
