GLENVILLE, W.V.- The West Chester softball team was back in action in a pair of games on Saturday afternoon at the Mountain East/PSAC Crossover. West Chester split the action on Saturday afternoon, defeating West Virginia State by a 9-8 final in eight innings before falling to Mercyhurst by a final of 8-2 in the nightcap to go 3-1 on the weekend.
GAME 1: WCU 9 WVSU 8 (8 innings)
In the first game of the day, West Chester worked into and back out of trouble in the top of the first before taking its first lead of the game at 1-0 in the bottom of the inning when
Trisha Kopinetz (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) singled home
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) to put West Chester out in front early.
In the third and fourth innings, West Virginia State answered with six runs over the course of those two innings, scoring two in the third and adding four more in the fourth to take a commanding 6-1 lead.
In the home half of the fifth, West Chester cut into the deficit, scoring four runs courtesy of an RBI single from
Sierra Marsteller (Orefield, Pa./Larkland) before
Haleigh Karcher (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to make it a 6-5 game heading into the sixth inning.
In the top of the sixth, West Virginia State got one of the runs back, stretching its lead back to two runs (7-5) heading into the home half of the sixth. In the sixth,
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) laced an RBI single to make the score 7-6 before scoring when Kopinetz reached on a fielding error to even the score at 7-7.
After a scoreless seventh inning, West Virginia State inched back out in front in the eighth, taking a slim 8-7 lead before West Chester countered with two runs in the home half as
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) singled home Melvin before coming around to score on an RBI single by Kopinetz to lift West Chester to the 9-8 comeback victory.
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) got the win in the circle, pitching five innings in relief, surrendering six runs on nine hits while striking out six for her second win of the Spring.
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) pitched the first three innings in relief of
Antonia Browning (Newark, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) who got the start but failed to record an out, scattering four hits and two runs while striking out four to help limit the WVSU offense.
GAME TWO: Mercyhurst 8 WCU 2
Following an exciting victory over West Virginia State in the first game of the day, West Chester looked to keep things rolling in the right direction in its final game of the weekend vs Mercyhurst.
West Chester fell behind early, trailing 4-0 heading into the third inning of play, before the Golden Rams got two runs back with impressive baserunning from Marsteller and Melvin as they each executed steals of home to cut the deficit in half heading into the fourth.
In the fourth, Mercyhurst tacked on another run before scoring three more in the sixth to earn the 8-2 victory over the Golden Rams.
Anna Torrens (Holmes, Pa./Ridley) got the start and the loss, lasting three innings, surrendering five runs on six hits with two strikeouts before exiting in favor of
Summer Williams (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink) who pitched the next three innings surrendering three runs on six hits in the losing effort.
UP NEXT
West Chester will be back in action on Sunday, March 6
th at Jefferson before heading to the Sunshine State for a set of games beginning on Friday, March 11
th.
