WINTER HAVEN, Fl.- The West Chester softball team (9-9) returned to action on Thursday morning for its final day of competition in the Sunshine State, squaring off against Minot State and Post University in a pair of single games. In the first game, Minot State surged ahead early but it was West Chester who held a 3-2 lead entering the middle innings, Minot State rallied in the fifth to tie the game and force extra innings, where the Beavers would escape with a 5-4 victory over the Golden Rams in eight innings. In the second game vs Post, West Chester found itself in an early hole once again, but the Golden Rams answered back quickly, scoring one run in the second, third, and fourth innings to erase the deficit and eventually earn a 5-2 victory over the Eagles to conclude their yearly trip to the Sunshine State.
Game One: Minot State 5 WCU 4 (8 innings)
In the home half of the first, Minot State opened the scoring with a pair of runs on three hits while leaving a pair of runners on base as the game went to the second inning with the Beavers holding a slim two-run lead.
West Chester was held hitless until the top of the fourth when the Golden Rams got their first hits and runs of the afternoon, erasing a two-run deficit and taking a 3-2 lead into the bottom half of the inning.
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) notched the Golden Rams first hit of the afternoon, hitting a single, which also moved
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) up to second base after she had reached on a fielders choice earlier in the inning.
Trisha Kopinetz (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) followed this up with a three-run home run, notching her fourth home run of the Spring to give the Golden Rams a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
After a scoreless home half of the fourth, Minot State scratched across another run in the fifth, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by the Golden Rams to even the score at 3-3 in the late innings.
In the top of the sixth, West Chester loaded the bases with just one out following a pair of singles from
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) and Rittenbaugh to open the inning followed by a one-out walk from Kopinetz as the Beavers were unwilling to fall victim to another home run by the Golden Rams first baseman.
Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) followed this up with a ground ball to short, which the Minot State shortstop made a strong play on, fielding the ball and firing it home to get the speedy Melvin at the plate while the bases remained loaded with two outs as Kim reached safely on the play.
Olivia Mock (Clifton, Va./Paul V) followed this with a ground ball back to the mound, which was handled by the Minot State pitcher as the Beavers tight roped out of danger and kept the game tied at 3-3 heading into the home half of the sixth.
The sixth was the final true threat of regulation for either side as neither team had a baserunner reach second base over the course of the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, thus, forcing extra innings once again to decide a victor.
In the top of the eighth, West Chester scored on an RBI single from Rittenbaugh, which was enough to allow
Sierra Marsteller (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) who had placed on second to open the inning to scamper home and give the Golden Rams a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Minot State came through with a pair of RBI singles, tying the game and eventually earning a 5-4 victory over the Golden Rams in eight innings.
Antonia Browning (Newark, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) got the start for West Chester and went 4.1, scattering five hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out a pair.
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) entered in relief and pitched the final 3.0 innings, surrendering two runs (one earned) on three hits with one walk and three K's in the loss, falling to 4-4 on the year.
For Minot State, Trinity Valentine got the ball and the victory for the Beavers, pitching the full eight innings scattering five hits and four runs while striking out seven to improve to 7-3 on the season.
Game Two: WCU 5 Post 2
In the second game of the day, Post scored the first two runs of the game in the first inning but West Chester shut them down the rest of the way, holding Post to just three hits and no runs over the final six innings as the Golden Rams stormed back to take a 5-2 victory.
Abigail Quinn (Cheltenham, Pa./William Penn Charter) cut into the deficit in the second, coming through with an RBI single into left, which scored
Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) who had reached via a single of her own earlier in the inning.
The Golden Rams evened the score in the third inning when Aguilar reached on an error, allowing Melvin to score after she had singled and stolen second and third earlier in the inning to move herself into prime scoring position.
The score did not remain tied for long as Quinn put the Golden Rams ahead in the fourth inning with a solo home run, giving West Chester a 3-2 lead it would never relinquish. In the sixth, Quinn was at it once more when she came through with a two-RBI single scoring Kim and pinch-runner
Asia Barnard (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) who had pinch run for Mock after she reached on a single earlier in the frame.
Anna Torrens (Holmes, Pa./Ridley) got the start but registered just one out while surrendering two runs on one hit before exiting in favor of Picozzi. Picozzi entered in relief and turned in a stellar outing, going 6.2, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out eight to earn a bounce-back victory and improve to 5-4 on the season.
For Post, Brianna Koref took the loss, falling to 1-2 on the season after surrendering eight hits and five runs with one walk and two strikeouts over the course of her six innings of work.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action next Friday afternoon in its home opener against U Sciences with first pitch in that game set for 2 p.m.
