LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- The West Chester softball team (15-15, 2-2) returned to action on Saturday evening at Lock Haven in the first of a two-day road trip for the Purple and Gold. West Chester trailed early in each game but never by more than a run as West Chester used big innings in the middle part of each game to break 1-1 ties and roll to a doubleheader sweep of the Bald Eagles, taking the first game by a 6-1 final before winning game two by a 6-2 final score.
Game One: WCU 6 Lock Haven 1
After three and a half scoreless innings to begin the game, Lock Haven scratched across the first run of the contest in the home half of the fourth with a two-out single to take an early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, West Chester continued to threaten as it had for much of the afternoon to this point, getting a runner to third with just one out following a
Haleigh Karcher (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) double to leadoff the inning.
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) followed this up with a groundout, which moved pinch-runner
Tess Smiley (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) over to third with one out in the inning.
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) followed this up with a bunt single and a steal of second, giving West Chester runners on second and third with just one out.
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) capitalized on this opportunity with a two-RBI triple to right, which gave West Chester a 2-1 lead. This lead increased moments later when
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) hit a sac fly to right, which scored Rittenbaugh and gave the Purple and Gold a 3-1 lead. West Chester continued to threaten in the inning when
Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) bunted her way on and stole second, but Lock Haven was able to escape the inning without any further damage, taking the game to the bottom of the fifth with West Chester out in front by a score of 3-1.
With a two-run lead,
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) went back to work, delivering back-to-back scoreless innings, allowing West Chester to take its 3-1 lead into the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh, West Chester threatened for more after its two batters of the inning reached before loading the bases with two outs in the inning;
Trisha Kopinetz (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) cleared the bases with a double before advancing to third on the throw home, extending the West Chester lead to 6-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
In the home half of the seventh, Picozzi looked to finish what she had started, facing the bottom third of the Bald Eagles lineup as they looked to mount an improbable comeback. Lock Haven started the inning with a single to right field, but this was as much noise as the Bald Eagle offense would make in their half of the seventh as Picozzi worked around her leadoff baserunner to earn the victory.
Picozzi went the distance in the circle for West Chester, scattering seven hits and one run while striking out three to improve to 7-6 on the year.
For Lock Haven, Madison Waltman took the loss, going the distance in the circle for the Bald Eagles, surrendering six runs (three earned) on eight hits while walking three and striking out seven.
Game Two: WCU 6 LHU 2
In the second game of the afternoon, Lock Haven once again scored first, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead heading into the second inning.
After a scoreless second, Aguilar evened the score at 1-1 in the third with an RBI groundout, which scored
Sierra Marsteller (Orefield, Pa./Parkland), who had leadoff the inning with a single.
In the home half of the fifth, Lock Haven threatened to break the game open, getting a runner over to third base with just one out after a leadoff walk to start the inning, but
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) tight-roped out of danger to keep the score where it was heading into the sixth.
In the sixth, West Chester had runners on the corners to start the inning after Aguilar started the inning with a single and Kim reached on a throwing error, which set the stage for Aguilar to break the tie when Kim stole second and the Bald Eagles second baseman made a poor throw back to the plate to try and get Aguilar, thus, giving West Chester a 2-1 lead. West Chester extended the lead a short time later when Karcher doubled home Kim to give West Chester a 3-1 lead and runners on second and third with no outs in the inning, prompting the second Bald Eagle pitching change of the inning. Picozzi greeted the new Lock Haven pitcher by working a walk, which loaded the bases with no outs in the inning as West Chester threatened to break the game open. Smiley kept the line moving with an RBI single through the left side, scoring Kopinetz, who had reached via a single of her own earlier in the inning, which extended the lead to 4-1 and kept the bases loaded with Golden Rams.
Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) drove home another run via a sac fly to make the lead 5-1 in favor of West Chester.
West Chester further stretched its lead in the seventh when Aguilar scored on a wild pitch after doubling to left to start the inning as the Golden Rams carried a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
In the home half of the seventh, Lock Haven attempted to mount a comeback, getting one run back via an RBI double, but this is all the Bald Eagles would get as West Chester rolled to a 6-2 road victory for a sweep of the Bald Eagles.
Antonia Browning (Newark, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) got the start and worked into the fourth inning, scattering just four hits and one unearned run while striking out one over the course of her 3.1 innings of work. Edwards entered in relief with one away in the fourth and pitched the final 3.2, scattering just two hits and one run while striking out one to earn the victory and improve to 5-4 on the year.
For Lock Haven, Kinley Gioglio took the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits while striking out one over the course of five innings of work. Jada Shellhammer entered in relief and did not record an out while giving up a pair of runs on two hits before exiting in favor of game-one starter Waltman, who pitched the final two innings, giving up just one run on two hits to keep Lock Haven in the game late.
Notes:
With her one stolen base (third on the day) in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday, Melvin passed Meghan Kelly (2013) for first all-time in single season steals, as Melvin has now swiped 37 bases on the year while increasing her career total to 70, which is fourth best in program history after passing Tara Colantuono (68-5th) (2005-08) and
Bri Garber (69-4th) (2017-21) on Sunday afternoon.
With the doubleheader sweep of Lock Haven this afternoon, head coach
Diane Lokey also reached the 600-career wins at WCU plateau as a result of the Golden Rams game two triumph over the Bald Eagles.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at Mansfield, with that doubleheader set to begin at 2 p.m.
