BENSALEM, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (2-3) returned to action on Tuesday afternoon for a non-league doubleheader at Holy Family (0-3). West Chester used a late-game rally and a huge defensive play by
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) to earn a 4-3 victory in game one before jumping to an 8-1 lead in game two. The Golden Rams and Tigers completed 4.5 innings in game two before rain moved into the area, which led to play being suspended with the Golden Rams up seven. A resumption date for the final 2.5 innings of game two has yet to be announced.
Game One: WCU 4 HFU 3
After a scoreless first inning and top of the second, Holy Family jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the home second, capitalizing on a pair of singles and a pair of errors to carry an early two-run lead into the third.
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) cut the deficit in half with an RBI groundout, which scored
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) and made the score 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third.
In the home third, Holy Family stretched its lead back two runs, using an RBI fielders choice to take a 3-1 lead into the fourth.
After a scoreless fourth, West Chester pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, using a costly error by the Tigers middle infield to even the score at 3-3. West Chester continued to threaten after a single by
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) gave the Golden Rams runners on the corners with two outs. Kinsley Hall escaped the inning without any further damage, picking up the third out with a strikeout of
Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) to keep things tied at 3-3.
Ciliberto worked a scoreless fifth inning, and Makenna Patterson, who entered in relief of Hall, did her best to match this effort, getting two quick outs before yielding a two-out walk to
Gia Borelli (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson), which brought up the top of the Golden Ram lineup once again. Borelli swiped second but was thrown out trying to steal third moments later, which ended the threat and sent the game to the home half of the sixth, still tied at 3-3.
Melvin and
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) led off the top of the seventh with a pair of singles, which gave the Golden Rams runners on the corners to start the inning. Rittenbaugh quickly stole second to give West Chester runners on second and third before Aguilar lifted a fly ball to center, which plated Melvin and moved Rittenbaugh to third with one out. Patterson worked out of trouble from this point, working around her early runners with a pair of flyouts to escape the seventh down just one (4-3).
Leading for the first time in the game,
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) returned to the circle for the seventh with a one-run lead. Ciliberto quickly got her first out of the inning before Holy Family got a runner on via an error, showing signs of life with one out in the seventh. West Chester got the second out on a groundout to second, but this allowed the Tigers to move a runner to second with two away. Holy Family nearly got the hit it was looking for with a single through the right side, but
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) came up throwing and delivered a strike to
Lauren Daniels (Drums, Pa./Hazleton) at the plate to catch freshman Jaden Kelly trying to score from second and deliver a 4-3 game one victory to the Golden Rams.
Ciliberto (2-1) picked up her second victory of the season in the circle with a complete-game effort, which saw her scatter three runs (one earned) on eight hits. Hall got the start and a no-decision for Holy Family, pitching the first five innings, yielding three unearned runs on three hits while walking one and striking out six. Patterson (0-2) suffered the loss for Holy Family, allowing the winning run on two hits while also yielding one walk for her second loss of the season.
Game Two: WCU 8 HFU 1 (SUSPENDED AFTER 4.5 INNINGS)
After a thrilling game one victory, West Chester went into game two looking for a sweep of the doubleheader and return to .500 on the year heading into March.
The Golden Rams threatened early, getting a pair on in the first inning, but Holy Family worked out of danger as quickly as it had worked itself into the two-out jam to keep things scoreless early.
In the circle for West Chester was
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton), who was dominant early, striking out four and allowing just one hit through her first three innings of work.
After threatening again in the second inning, West Chester loaded the bases with one out in the top of the third after a single by Aguilar, a walk by
Hailey Melvin, and a single by Kane.
Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) gave West Chester its largest lead of the day to that point with a two-RBI single to center, scoring Aguilar and Melvin while also moving Kane to second.
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) continued to stretch the lead with an RBI double to left center, scoring Kane while moving Wolfe over to third with one out. This double led to a quick pitching change for Holy Family as Paige Tidaback entered in relief of Molly Moore. Tidaback was greeted with a two-RBI single off the bat of
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) that plated Kearney and Wolfe to give the Golden Rams a commanding 5-0 lead. West Chester scratched across one more run before the end of the third as
Madison Melvin reached on a bunt and was thrown out trying to go to second, but not before Hopkins scored to give West Chester a 6-0 lead heading into the home half of the third.
Moore ended her day with a final line of five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out a pair in 2.1 innings of work.
In the top of the fourth, West Chester extended its lead to 7-0 when
Hailey Melvin laced an RBI single down the left-field line to score Aguilar.
Holy Family countered with their first run of the game in the home fourth as Tidaback singled home a run to cut the deficit to 7-1.
In the top of the fifth, Hopkins extended the lead back to 8-1 with an RBI single before the rains came and halted the game heading into the bottom of the fifth.
A resumption date for the final 2.5 innings has yet to be announced.
When play was suspended, Edwards remained in the game, showing a line of 4.0 innings of work, scattering two hits, one walk, and one unearned run, while striking out six as she looked for her first win of the season.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action next Thursday at Jefferson beginning at 1 p.m.
