WILSON, N.C.- The West Chester University softball team (0-2) kicked off its 2024 campaign on Saturday in North Carolina with a split doubleheader against Barton (5-5) and Frostburg State (1-1). West Chester dropped both games in extra-innings, falling by a 5-4 final in eight innings in game one before dropping the nightcap by a 9-6 final in eight innings as well.
Game 1: Barton 5 WCU 4 (8 Inn.)
West Chester jumped out to an early lead, striking first in the top of the first as
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) worked a walk and later came around to score on a throwing error by the Bulldogs catcher as she attempted to catch the speedy
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) stealing.
The opening day starter,
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton), made short work of Barton in the first and encountered her first trouble of the day in the bottom of the second as the first batter of the inning reached on an error.
With a runner on first to start the inning, Barton moved her to second with a sac bunt, which gave the Golden Rams their first out of the inning but also made the situation just a bit tighter for Edwards. Edwards struck out her next batter for the second out of the inning and got the third out on a fly ball to left to escape danger and send the game to the third with West Chester leading 1-0.
In the top of the third, Aguilar reached for the second this afternoon with a single up the middle and West Chester threatened to extend its lead after this, but Barton left fielder Kandyce Condrey made a tremendous play in left-center to help the Bulldogs escape the inning with no further damage.
Barton led off the bottom of the third with a two-strike double down the left-field line before a single to center gave the hosts two runners on to start the inning. This eventually helped Barton tie the game with a single to left; the Bulldogs tried to take the lead on this RBI single, but a strong throw by
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) recorded the first out of the inning and kept things tied at 1-1. Makenzie Cyzick had the game-tying RBI single and moved to second on the throw home, again giving Barton a runner-in-scoring position with less than two outs. Kasey Jones continued her big start to the 2024 season with a two-strike, two-run home run to center, which gave Barton a 3-1 lead in the third. Edwards worked out of danger, getting the next two outs of the inning in short order to send the game to the fourth.
After yielding an early run, Miranda Holmes settled in for Barton, working through the Golden Ram lineup well over the next few innings to keep the Purple and Gold off the scoreboard until the sixth inning.
Edwards got the first out of the fourth quickly but yielded a double to left to her next batter, which led to
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) entering in relief. Ciliberto picked up her first out quickly, getting a lineout to Aguilar before escaping the jam with a groundout to third, keeping the deficit where it was at 3-1.
Edwards finished her first start of 2024 with a final line of 3.1 innings pitched, scattering three runs on five hits while striking out a pair.
Holmes hit her first bit of trouble since the early innings in the top of the sixth as
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) started the inning with a double down the left field line. Aguilar worked her second walk of the afternoon, giving West Chester runners on first and second with no outs.
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) helped West Chester load the bases with one out as she singled to short.
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) entered as a pinch-hitter for
Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove). This move paid off as Zoldi lifted a fly ball to center, which plated Aguilar to cut the deficit to 3-2 while also moving Melvin to third with two outs.
Following this, Kane swiped second, perhaps hoping to draw a throw that would allow Melvin to scamper home, but the Bulldogs did not bite, giving West Chester runners on second and third with two outs.
Gia Borelli (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) entered a pinch hitter, but Barton managed to escape the inning without any further damage, preserving a slim 3-2 lead heading into the home half of the sixth.
Back-to-back one-out doubles helped Barton stretch its lead back to 4-2 before Ciliberto worked out of the inning to keep the deficit at 4-2 heading into the seventh.
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) kept the Golden Ram rally alive with a two-out single followed by a Rittenbaugh double to give West Chester runners on second and third with two away. Aguilar continued her big day with an RBI single to left that cut the deficit to 4-3 and gave West Chester runners on second and third again after a throwing error by the Barton left fielder. West Chester tied it up moments later when pinch-runner
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) scampered home on a passed ball before Barton escaped the inning to take things to the home half of the seventh even at 4-4.
Barton could not push across the winning run in the home half of the seventh, but the Bulldogs did push across the winning run in the eighth, using a sac fly to right to escape with a 5-4 victory over the Golden Rams.
Ciliberto suffered the opening day loss, finishing with a final line of one earned on three hits with six strikeouts over 4.1 innings of work. On the other side of the ledger, Holmes improved to 4-2 on the year with a complete-game effort, which saw her scatter just two runs on eight hits and a pair of walks while fanning 11 to limit the dangerous Golden Ram offense.
Game Two: Frostburg State 9 WCU 6
Frostburg State opened the scoring in the first inning as the Bobcats pushed their first run across via a wild pitch to carry a one-run advantage into the home half of the first.
In the home first, Aguilar wasted little time in evening things up with an RBI single to score Melvin, who had led off the inning with a single and quick steal of second. Rittenbaugh scored moments later on an error by the Bobcat defense, giving West Chester a 2-1 lead heading into the second.
After a pair of scoreless innings, Wolfe doubled the West Chester lead with a two-RBI double to right, plating a pair of newcomers in Kane and Kearney to give West Chester a commanding 4-1 lead.
Ciliberto got the start in the nightcap and worked the first 4.1 before exiting in favor of Edwards, who returned for her second appearance of the day. Edwards got a quick out to start her work, but Frostburg State was able to cut into the deficit with a two-run home run, which trimmed the lead to 4-3.
After this two-run home run, Ciliberto ended her day with a final line of two unearned runs on three hits while striking out five in the eventual no-decision.
West Chester expanded its lead in the home half of the fifth as Rittenbaugh reached on a fielding error and later scored thanks to an RBI double from Aguilar as the grad student continued her tremendous opening-day performance.
Leading 5-3 heading into the seventh, West Chester was hopeful this advantage would be enough to secure an opening-day split with just three outs to get. The Golden Rams got the first two outs of the inning in short order before a solo home run to right cut the lead to just one. With sudden momentum, the Bobcats pushed across another run just two batters later after a triple and an RBI single, evening the score at 5-5. This signaled the end of the day for Edwards as
Samantha Klug (East Norriton, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) entered in relief to get the final out of the top half of the seventh. Klug worked herself into a bases-loaded jam but escaped with a big strikeout, sending the game to the home half locked at 5-all.
Rittenbaugh started the home half with a single to short, giving West Chester an early base runner. Down in a 1-2 hole early in the at-bat, Aguilar battled well and worked an important walk, giving West Chester runners on first and second to open the home half of the seventh.
Hailey Melvin tried to lay down a bunt to move the runners over and potentially reach herself, but the Frostburg State defense handled the opportunity well, charging in and snagging the popped-up bunt for an important first out of the inning. Frostburg State picked up the second out of the inning on a strikeout of Kane before escaping the inning with a fielders choice from Kearney.
As darkness began to set in, the game moved to extra innings, marking both sides' second extra-inning game of the day. Frostburg State opened the eighth with a perfectly executed bunt that was perhaps intended to simply move a runner but instead gave the Bobcats runners on the corners to start the inning. Klug got the first out with a clutch strikeout before getting the second out on a fielder's choice, which kept things locked at 5-5. With the bases loaded and two away, West Chester appeared as if it might escape danger once again, but Frostburg State had other plans, clearing the bases with a triple down the right-field line to take an 8-5 lead over the Golden Rams. An RBI single by the next Bobcat batter stretched the lead one further, making the score 9-5 in favor of the visitors on the scoreboard. West Chester halted the Bobcat's big inning with a pop-out but faced a four-run deficit going to the bottom of the eighth.
West Chester opened the home half similarly to how Frostburg State did, as a well-placed infield single gave West Chester runners on the corners with no outs. Zoldi helped West Chester get a run back two batters later with an RBI single, but this was as close as the Golden Rams would get as Frostburg State escaped with a 9-6 extra-inning victory.
Klug suffered the setback on Saturday evening as the sophomore worked the final 1.1, allowing four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out a pair in her first loss of the year. On the other side of the ledger, FSU hurler Jamie Roberts earned her first victory of the season with a complete-game effort, which saw her scatter three runs on 11 hits and a pair of walks while striking out three.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action tomorrow for another split doubleheader against Frostburg State and Barton, beginning at noon against the Bobcats.
