WEST CHESTER, PA – The storylines were plentiful. The comeback improbable. The backdrop indescribable. Yet, after five-and-one-half hours of softball in the windiest of conditions, West Chester University had solidified its spot in the postseason and its team captain joined an elite club as the Golden Rams swept a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) softball doubleheader from visiting Shippensburg Friday.
West Chester (22-12, 18-12 PSAC East) scored a combined 31 runs on 32 hits to sink Shippensburg (22-16, 16-14) by scores of 17-8 and 14-13 and clinch a spot in the 2021 PSAC Tournament next week.
In the process, fifth-year senior
Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) became just the second player in PSAC history to reach 300 career hits when she singled in a run in her first at bat of the afternoon.
Fast-forward to the bottom of the seventh inning of game two. A warm and sunny spring afternoon has given way to gray clouds, wind gusting up to 55 miles per hour and temperatures plummeting as a result. Garber, again, would play an integral role in one of the craziest finishes in a season that can only be described with that adjective. West Chester held a 10-7 lead heading into the top of the seventh. However, Shippensburg rallied to score six times and open up a three-run lead of its own.
When the first two batters in the bottom half of the seventh popped out to short, the Golden Rams were down to their final out with the bases empty.
Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) doubled down the left field line to kickoff a whirlwind of events that eventually led to a "W" for the Purple & Gold.
Leadoff hitter,
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) followed Kim's double with a single to left that the Raiders' left fielder bobbled, enabling Aguilar to cruise into second and Kim to race home. When
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) traded places with Aguilar with a two-bagger of her own, West Chester suddenly was only down one run with the fastest runner on the diamond at second base.
Shippensburg countered by bringing back starting pitcher Maelyn Leber to face Garber. The career .400 hitter slapped one down the left field line that kicked into foul territory. Melvin scored easily with the tying run, and Garber slid into third base under the tag with a triple.
Leber got the final out that sent the game into extra innings.
The Raiders went quietly in the top half of the eighth.
Trisha Kopinetz (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) led off the bottom half of the eighth with a single, and
Asia Barnard (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) came in to run for the catcher.
Olivia Mock (Clifton, Va./Paul V Catholic) then singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by the second baseman that allowed Barnard to move up to third. Following a ground out,
Annamarie Hartman (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier Prep.) hit a dribbler in between third and the pitching circle that the Raiders' third baseman could not handle as Barnard slid home with the game-winning run. It was Hartman's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning of game one that halted that contest early. Her heroics in game two gave her two walkoff wins in the same day.
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) picked up her team-leading 10th win of the spring. Similar to Raiders' starter, Leber, Picozzi started game two and returned in the seventh to finish out the contest. She tossed a total of 4.1 innings, surrendering four runs on six hits, only three of those runs were earned, however. She walked three and struck out two.
Aguilar, Melvin and Kopinetz all produced three hits in the nightcap. The first five hitters in West Chester's batting order accounted for 12 of 18 hits and 12 of 13 RBI in game two.
Following another unlikely of storylines from game one, Kim hit her first college home run in the bottom of the second inning – a grand slam to left field. At the time, it seemed like four more runs in what was quickly becoming a rout as the slam put West Chester on top, 13-0. Kopinetz added her team-best 10th home run of the year in the third and the hosts were well in control, 14-0.
Shippensburg finally got on the board in the top of the fourth, making it 14-1. However, the Raiders finally strung together some hits in the fifth inning and pushed across seven runs to momentarily stave off the loss.
Again, with two outs and nobody on, it seemed as though game one was going to continue on into the sixth inning. That's when Kopinetz walked and Mock singled to right. That set the stage for Hartman's three-run shot over the right-center field fence, ending the opener, 17-8.
The top of the order was the difference in game one as well. The top four batters collected seven hits and eight RBI.
Jen Hanshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) went the distance in the circle for her ninth win of the season. She allowed eight runs – only four of which were earned – on nine hits. She walked three and struck out four. The senior right-hander mowed down the Raiders lineup the first time through. She took a no-hitter into the fourth inning.
Saturday afternoon, West Chester and Shippensburg end the 2021 regular season – a regular season like no other before it, and hopefully, like no other coming in the future. With the Golden Rams securely in a playoff position, the Raiders will look to earn the final postseason spot out of the Eastern Division. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.
