WEST CHESTER, Pa.-The West Chester University softball team (18-9, 7-3) concluded its homestand with a dramatic sweep of Bloomsburg (17-10, 6-4) as the Golden Rams defeated the Huskies 1-0 with an eighth-inning walk-off in game one before winning the nightcap by an 8-7 final with a walk-off double in the seventh.
With this sweep, West Chester improved its placement in the PSAC East standings and gave head coach
Diane Lokey her 700th career victory as a collegiate softball coach, including her time at Elizabethtown. Lokey has now won 648 of her 700 career wins as the head coach of West Chester.
Game One: WCU 1 Bloomsburg 0 (8 Innings)
The first game of the afternoon was a classic pitchers duel throughout the game as the duo of
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) and
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) battled with Callie Sowers of Bloomsburg throughout the afternoon in an epic duel before the Golden Rams earned the 1-0 victory in eight innings.
Despite limited hits, West Chester threatened throughout the afternoon, including getting
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) to third with one out in the sixth.
West Chester finally scored the lone run of the game in the eighth after
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) 's RBI single down the left field line plated Melvin, who had reached on a single to open the inning and moved to third on a double off the top of the wall by
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) just one batter earlier.
Edwards got the start and pitched tremendously through the first 5.2 innings, scattering just two hits and a walk while striking out four. Ciliberto finished the game in the circle and earned the victory to improve to 9-5 on the year, scattering just two hits while striking out two as West Chester earned the victory.
Sowers (12-3) was equally as impressive for Bloomsburg throughout the afternoon, holding West Chester to just seven hits, including only four hits through the first seven innings, while striking out seven in the loss.
Game Two: WCU 8 Bloomsburg 7
Bloomsburg jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth thanks in part to a two-run home run by Gianna Gombeda in the top of the third.
West Chester mounted an impressive comeback in the home half of the fourth, scoring five runs on just two hits, including a grand slam by
Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) for her third home run of the weekend. This blast came after West Chester loaded the bases with just one out and scored its first run of the game as
Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) was hit by a pitch to score a run and keep the bases loaded.
West Chester extended its lead with crucial insurance runs in the fifth.
Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) laced a single through the left side to score
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) and move
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) up to third. Hopkins scored moments later on a passed ball to give West Chester a crucial 7-4 lead.
The Golden Rams saw their three-run lead shrink to just one in the top of the sixth with a two-run home run to straightaway center. Still with no outs, Bloomsburg followed this up with a single but popped up a sac bunt attempt as Edwards got an important first out of the sixth. Edwards struck out Emmie Rowe for a big second out before escaping the inning with a fly out to right off the bat of Emma Little.
West Chester got a quick first out to start the top of the seventh before the Huskies got a single through the left side to keep comeback hopes alive. Edwards responded with her second out on a pop-up in the circle before finding herself in a lengthy battle vs Kayleigh Lenner. With the count locked at 2-2, Lenner laced a double into center to tie the game at 7-7.
Heading into the home half of the seventh hoping to force extra innings once again, Bloomsburg got two quick outs before Wolfe worked a walk and advanced to second via a single by Rittenbaugh, giving West Chester late life. Bloomsburg turned to its bullpen once again, bringing Sowers back, hoping the junior could find the success she had throughout much of the game one. The Golden Rams had other ideas as Peterson laced a 1-2 pitch into right-center for a walk-off double that lifted West Chester to an 8-7 comeback victory over the Huskies.
Ciliberto got the start in the circle in game two, pitching the first three innings, yielding four runs on four hits while striking out a pair. Edwards entered in relief and pitched the next 3.2, scattering six hits and three runs while striking out three. Ciliberto re-entered with two outs in the seventh, got the final out via a strikeout for her third K of the afternoon, and eventually earned the victory in the circle to improve to 10-5 on the year.
Kelly Eberly got the start in the circle for Bloomsburg and worked the first 3.1, allowing five runs on four hits while walking a pair and striking out three. Lily Gray worked an inning in relief and allowed two runs on three hits before Lyndsey Reinoehl entered in relief to help Bloomsburg escape the fifth inning with limited damage. Reinoehl pitched 2.1 solid innings for Bloomsburg, surrendering just two hits and a run while walking one and striking out three before exiting in favor of Sowers. Sowers came in and allowed the winning to run to score, although Reinoehl suffered the loss as it was her run who crossed as she fell to 1-2 on the year.
Up Next:
West Chester will return to action on Tuesday afternoon at Kutztown beginning at 2 p.m.
