WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following a doubleheader sweep of the College of Staten Island, the West Chester softball team (12-7) returned to action on a frigid Sunday afternoon against Holy Family (2-16) and picked up its second sweep in as many days, earning a 10-1 win in game one before taking two 9-1 in five innings as well.
In the first game of the doubleheader,
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) continued her historic career as a base stealer, swiping her 100
th career base, becoming the first Golden Ram to go over the century mark in career steals.
Game One: WCU 10 HFU 1 (5 Innings)
Holy Family started the game with back-to-back hits to take an early 1-0 lead into the home half of the first.
West Chester countered quickly with an RBI double by
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove), followed by an RBI triple from
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) as WCU took an early 2-1 lead.
Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) added to this lead moments later with an RBI double down the left-field line, carrying a 3-1 lead into the second.
West Chester added three runs in the second on a fielder's choice and a two-RBI double by
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca).
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) (2-0) got the start and worked the first 3.1, allowing one run on four hits while walking two and striking out three.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) entered in relief for the second day in a row and finished the fourth with a strikeout and ground ball to second to help West Chester carry a 6-1 lead into the home half.
Aguilar made it a 7-1 lead with an opposite-field home run to leadoff the fifth before Melvin found her way to second, eventually scoring on an RBI double by
Abigail Quinn (Cheltenham, Pa./William Penn Charter). Ciliberto, who also pitched a scoreless top of the fifth, ended the game with a two-run home run to left, her second of the season, lifting West Chester to a 10-1 win in five innings.
Game Two: WCU 9 HFU 1
Aguilar continued her big day early in game two, once again giving West Chester an early 1-0 lead with an RBI double to left center. Wolfe and
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) hit back-to-back RBI singles before
Olivia Mock (Clifton, Va./Paul V) brought them home with a triple to straightaway center.
After striking out the side in the first,
Sam Klug (East Norriton, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) (4-1) ran into some early trouble in the second but did well to limit the Tigers to just one run, carrying a 5-1 advantage into the home half of the inning.
Melvin led off the second with a double, which allowed her to score on a sac fly from Rittenbaugh, extending the lead to 6-1.
West Chester added three more in the fourth with aggressive base-running and another RBI double from Aguilar to take a 9-1 lead into the fifth. After a scoreless top of the fifth, this 9-1 lead led to the game coming to its conclusion early as well, giving West Chester a shortened sweep of Holy Family.
Klug turned in a dominant pitching performance in the nightcap, tossing five strong innings of her own, surrendering just one run on two hits, and striking out six en route to her staff-leading fourth victory the year.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday at Wilmington beginning at 2 p.m.
