STROUDSBURG, Pa.- Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) pitched a gem to improve to 13-4 on the year, while
Abigail Quinn (Cheltenham, Pa./William Penn Charter) delivered a clutch two-run home run to left to lift West Chester (36-17) to a 6-3 win over West Virginia Wesleyan (43-16).
"We came out attacking and were very well prepared offensively," said head coach
Diane Lokey when asked about the Tournament opening win. "We did what we had to do throughout the afternoon, and I thought Danielle pitched a great game in the circle to keep us in the game throughout and help hold on for the victory."
Today's victory over West Virginia Wesleyan marked the fifth year in a row that West Chester has opened the NCAA Tournament with a victory, coincidentally, each of the previous four seasons in which this happened, West Chester went on to win the Pod, winning the Regional Crown in three of those four seasons.
West Chester worked a scoreless top of the first behind a pair of strikeouts by
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon).
Ciliberto, who had exited in the sixth and reentered later in the same inning, finished with a final line of 6.2 innings pitched, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out four to pick up her 13
th win of the year.
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) led off the home first with a walk and later scored on an RBI single through the right side off the bat of
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) to give West Chester an early 1-0 lead. West Chester tacked on a pair of runs via a wild pitch before an RBI triple by
Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) extended the WCU lead to 4-0.
Abigail Quinn (Cheltenham, Pa./William Penn Charter) added to this lead moments later with a laser of a two-run home run to left to give West Chester a commanding 6-0 lead.
When asked about her first-inning home run, Quinn said, "I was just trying to put the ball in play, honestly. It was nice to get a break after PSACs, take a few days off and come into regionals with a clear head."
After a quick second inning by both sides, West Virginia Wesleyan mustered its first hits of the afternoon with back-to-back, one-out singles before Ciliberto escaped the inning with a pair of ground balls to keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard.
After a scoreless few innings, West Virginia Wesleyan threatened in the fifth, hitting a one-out double into the left-center gap. Ciliberto got a big second out with a swinging strikeout before finishing the inning with another strikeout to help West Chester maintain its 6-0 lead.
The Bobcats started the sixth with back-to-back singles before scoring its first run of the game on a single past a diving Mock, which led to
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) entering in relief of Ciliberto with a pair of runners on and no outs. Wesleyan continued its comeback effort, working a bases-loaded walk and hitting another single through the left side to cut the deficit to 6-3. Edwards got one strikeout in relief before Ciliberto re-entered and ended the threat with a 6-3 DP, turned perfectly by shortstop
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest).
West Chester was unable to counter in the home sixth, carrying a three-run lead into the seventh. West Chester started the seventh with a groundout to short before the Bobcats got a pair of two-out runners. Ciliberto ended the game with a fly out to left as West Chester hung on for a 6-3 victory over the fifth-seeded Bobcats.
Ciliberto, who had exited in the sixth and reentered later in the same inning, finished with a final line of 6.2 innings pitched, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out four to pick up her 13
th win of the year.
"I think Danielle and I have a great connection," said Quinn when asked about her relationship with the Golden Rams freshman pitcher. "I'm very thankful to be able to work with her, and I think her confidence helps my confidence."
Mountain East Pitcher of the Year, Kendall Stoffel, got the start in the circle and got just two outs, allowing six runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one, to fall to 19-3 on the year.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action tomorrow against top-seed East Stroudsburg beginning at 11 a.m. in need of just a win either over the Warriors or against the winner of Bowie State/West Virginia Wesleyan in the nightcap to advance to the Pod Championship on Saturday morning. West Chester will likely face its second Conference Pitcher of the Year in two days on Saturday morning, as the Golden Rams are expected to face PSAC East Pitcher of the Year Paige Zigmund beginning at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
