WILMINGTON, Del.- The West Chester softball team (12-12) continued its non-league journey through the CACC on Tuesday afternoon on the road at Wilmington in advance of its PSAC East opener vs Millersville at home on Saturday afternoon. In the first game of the afternoon, West Chester trailed for much of the game but mounted a late comeback, highlighted by a two-run home run from
Alexa Peterson, but it was Wilmington who prevailed by a 6-5 final in eight innings. In the second game of the doubleheader, it was West Chester's turn to take an early lead but Wilmington answered back, forcing extra innings and eventually earning a 7-6 win in eight innings.
West Chester will not have to wait long to get a second shot at Wilmington as the Wildcats will come to town next Tuesday afternoon for the second doubleheader of the season between the two squads beginning at 2 p.m.
Game One: Wilmington 6 WCU 5 (8 Innings)
After a scoreless first, Wilmington scratched across the first run of the game in the bottom of the second, taking an early 1-0 lead over the visiting Golden Rams.
After being held hitless the first time through the batting order,
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) ensured that streak would not last, laying down a perfect bunt single down the third-base line, giving West Chester its first hit of the contest with two outs in the top of the third. As Melvin has done for much of the season, the speedy junior swiped second with ease to move herself into scoring position, but Wilmington escaped the inning, getting
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) to flyout to right to end the threat.
In the home half of the third, Wilmington pushed across another run after a Golden Ram throwing error to take a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning.
In the top of the fourth, West Chester threatened once again as reigning PSAC East Player of the Week,
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) led off the inning with a single to left but Wilmington once again escaped the inning without any damage, retaining its slim two-run advantage into the home half.
In the bottom of the fifth, Wilmington added another run, capitalizing off a pair of early inning defensive miscues by the Golden Rams to carry a 3-0 lead into the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Rittenbaugh led off the inning with a single through the left side, which Aguilar followed up with a walk to give West Chester runners on first and second with no outs and the middle part of the order coming up.
Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) laced a one-out RBI single into center field, which scored Rittenbaugh and moved Aguilar up to third, cutting the deficit to 3-1 before a double play got the Wildcats out of the inning with a two-run lead.
In the home half of the sixth, Wilmington wasted little time in getting this run back as a leadoff double but the Wildcats in scoring position, allowing them to score on an RBI single moments later to extend their lead to 4-1.
In the top of the seventh,
Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) blasted a two-run home run to center field, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Melvin and Rittenbaugh followed this up with a pair of singles, which allowed Aguilar to drive Melvin in with an RBI single to center field, evening the score at 4-4 in the seventh.
Anna Torrens (Holmes, Pa./Ridley) got the start in the circle in game one for West Chester and pitched well, giving up just three hits and three unearned runs while striking out a pair.
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) entered in relief of Torrens with two runners on and no outs in the fifth and limited the damage as just one runner came around to score before West Chester escaped the inning. Edwards ended her day in the bottom of the seventh, going 2.2 scattering five hits and one run to keep West Chester in the game late.
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) entered in relief of Edwards in the seventh with a pair of runners on and battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out designated player Sara Miller and force extra innings to decide a victor.
In extra innings, West Chester took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth after
Olivia Mock (Clifton, Va./Paul V) scored on an RBI groundout from
Haleigh Karcher (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) but Wilmington scored two runs in the home half of the eighth to escape with the 6-5 victory.
Picozzi took the loss in the circle, falling to 6-5 on the year.
For Wilmington, Kylee Gunkel got the start and pitched well, lasting 6.1 innings scattering 10 hits and four runs while striking out five before exiting in favor of Molly Dill who earned the victory, pitching the final 1.2, surrendering just one unearned run on no hits while striking out a pair.
Game Two: Wilmington 7 WCU 6 (8 Innings)
In the top of the first, West Chester scored a pair of quick runs when Aguilar reached on a throwing error by the Wilmington pitcher, scoring Rittenbaugh in the process before moving up to third herself via the error. Aguilar was able to score moments later when Kim connected on a SAC fly to right to give West Chester an early 2-0 lead.
Wilmington answered back quickly, getting a run back in the home half via an RBI single to make the score 2-1 heading to the second.
This score held until the fourth when West Chester added two more runs as Karcher hit a triple down the right field line, which scored Kim before coming around to score on a SAC fly off the bat of Kopinetz, thus giving West Chester a 4-1 lead.
In the home half, Wilmington answered once again, scoring two more runs to remain within striking distance, making the score 4-3 heading into the fifth.
In the fifth, Kim picked up another RBI on a SAC fly, scoring Rittenbaugh once more to give West Chester a 5-3 lead.
Wilmington answered back with a three-run home half, erasing the deficit and taking its first lead of the game at 6-5 heading into the sixth inning.
In the sixth, West Chester countered once again, using yet another SAC fly, this time from Mock to score Kopinetz who had doubled to leadoff the inning, evening the score at 6-6.
Similarly to game one, this contest required extra innings to decide a winner and it was Wilmington who emerged victorious, winning 7-6 in eight innings for a sweep of the Golden Rams.
Picozzi got the start and lasted three innings, surrendering three runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out three before exiting in favor of Edwards. Edwards came on in the fourth and pitched the remainder of the game, eventually taking the loss after going 4.1 scattering five hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out four in the setback.
For Wilmington, Haley Downin picked up the win after pitching the final 3.2, scattering three hits and one run with one strikeout in relief of Renamarie Rocha who got the start and gave up five runs on five hits with five strikeouts over her 4.1 innings of work.
Up Next:
West Chester returns home on Saturday afternoon to take on Millersville with that doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m.
