KUTZTOWN, PA. –
Haleigh Karcher hit a 3-run home run during a four-run sixth, and West Chester then hung on in the seventh to defeat Shepherd, 9-7, in the Golden Rams' second game of the NCAA Atlantic Regional at North Campus Field in Kutztown Thursday afternoon.
West Chester (32-14) advances in the winner's bracket to take on West Liberty Friday morning at 10 a.m. Shepherd (26-13) was eliminated from the tournament after dropping a 2-0 decision to Kutztown later in the afternoon.
The Golden Rams opened up an 8-0 lead thanks to that four-run sixth highlighted by Karcher's third homer of the season. However, Shepherd came storming back with four in the bottom half of the sixth and then three in the seventh. West Chester tacked on an insurance run in the top half of the seventh in-between Shepherd's big frames.
Jen Hanshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) (17-4) picked up the win inside the circle. She pitched 6.1 innings, allowing seven runs – only two of which were earned – on eight hits and walked two batters. She has earned both wins in the regional so far for the Golden Rams.
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) (1) came on and threw two pitches, inducing a game-ending double play grounder, for her first career save.
West Chester applied the pressure to Shepherd early by plating a pair of runs in the first inning.
Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) hit a sacrifice fly, and Karcher singled in the first of her four RBI on the afternoon to make it 2-0 before the Rams could come to bat.
The Golden Rams added another in the fourth on a wild pitch and things stood at 3-0 as Hanshaw was well in control through three.
In the fateful sixth, West Chester loaded the bases with nobody out. Stump then hit a ground to second, and the fielder threw home to try to nab Garber at the plate. However, her throw was off the mark, and Garber scored.
Trisha Kopinetz (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) hit a sacrifice fly, before Karcher stepped to plate and blasted her homer to left.
Shepherd battled back with a four-spot in the bottom of the sixth. Isabella Forte scored on an error, and the Rams doubled, singled and doubled again to push across three more runs with two outs in the inning.
Jaime Klemas (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) singled in a run in the top of the seventh that made it 9-4. Shepherd's Cameron Davis hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, her 11th blast of the season, to make it a 9-7 game. When Hanshaw walked Ashley Burger, WCU head coach
Diane Lokey called on Picozzi to close things out. The freshman came in, threw one pitch, before the next one to Allison Baker was grounded to short and turned into a 6-4-3 double play.
