KUTZTOWN, Pa.- The West Chester softball team (24-22, 7-9 PSAC) took to the road on Saturday afternoon to face Kutztown (33-12, 12-4) in need of a pair of victories to return to the PSAC Tournament in Quakertown next week. West Chester took an early lead in the first game of the doubleheader before a big fourth inning lifted Kutztown to an 8-1 game one victory before the Golden Bears took game two by a final of 4-1.
Game One: Kutztown 8 WCU 1
Trisha Kopinetz (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) opened the scoring with a double, which scored
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) to give West Chester a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.
After a scoreless second, Kutztown erased the early deficit in the third and took a 2-1 lead following a two-RBI single through the left side as the Golden Bears led heading into the fourth.
Antonia Browning (2-5) (Newark, Del/Charter School of Wilmington) worked into the second, surrendering a pair of runs on two hits while walking three and striking out one in the loss.
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) entered in relief and worked a full inning, ending with a final line of six runs (five earned) on six hits with one walk before exiting for
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) who entered with one out in the fourth and tossed the final 2.2, surrendering just one hit with one walk while striking out two and limiting the Kutztown offense over the final innings of game one.
Bridget Bailey got the start for Kutztown and went the distance, scattering just five hits and one run while walking a pair and striking out 10 to improve to 18-5 on the year.
Game Two: Kutztown 4 WCU 1
In the second game of the afternoon, Kutztown wasted little time in taking an early lead, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning before scoring another in the home half of the second to take a 3-0 lead.
West Chester cut into the Kutztown lead in the third,
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) recorded a two-out bunt single and came around to score just one batter later when
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) doubled to left to score her speedy teammate and cut the deficit to 3-1.
Unamused by the Golden Ram comeback bid in the third, Kutztown stiffened defensively and added another run in the home half of the fifth to stretch its lead to 4-1 heading into the sixth.
Needing three runs in the seventh to extend the game,
Haleigh Karcher (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) singled and was lifted for a pinch runner in
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) before
Tess Smiley (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) worked a walk to give WCU runners on first and second with two outs in the inning. Kutztown worked out of further danger as Madison
Melvin grounded out to third to end the game and give Kutztown a 4-1 game two victory over the visiting Golden Rams.
Anna Torrens (Holmes, Pa./Ridley) got the start and took the loss and after she pitched the first three innings, surrendering three runs on five hits while walking one before exiting in favor of Edwards. Edwards finished off the game, pitching the final 3.0 innings yielding one run on four hits with one walk and one strikeout in the season-ending setback.
For Kutztown, Bailey got the ball and the win in game two as well, pitching another complete-game, which saw her surrender just one run on seven hits while striking out four to earn her second victory of the day.
These setbacks bring West Chester's 2022 season to a close as the Golden Rams did not qualify for the PSAC Tournament in Quakertown, which is to be played next week at Veterans Park in Quakertown.
