CHARLESTON, W.V.- Following a win over regional host Charleston (49-5) on Friday afternoon, the West Chester University softball team (36-22) dropped a pair of games to the Golden Eagles on Saturday, dropping game one by an 8-6 final before falling in the nightcap by a 7-1 final. The Golden Rams game two setback brought their historic 2024 season to its conclusion, finishing just one game shy of the Super Regionals after starting a perfect 6-0 postseason for the first time since 2017.
"Kudos to Charleston, they had a great day," opened head coach
Diane Lokey when asked about the day. "I told the team postgame that sometimes it's your day, and sometimes it isn't, and today wasn't our day. We'd like to have some plays back, but I think you also have to tip your cap to Charleston for how they played and the special season they continue to have." When asked to sum up the tremendous 2024 season and her squad's unbeaten start to the postseason, Lokey said, "This group was amazing and will certainly go down as one of my favorite teams. They were such a selfless, driven group and just loved working together. This team fought to the end every time they stepped on the field, and today was no different, so they absolutely have a lot to be proud of."
Charleston advances to the Super Regionals after completing an improbable Saturday run for the second year in a row. The Golden Eagles also advanced to
the Super Regionals by sweeping a pair from Shippensburg on the final day of the regional a year ago.
Game One: Charleston 8 WCU 6
The hosts jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in game one with a leadoff solo home run from Hannah Rose.
West Chester countered with a run of its own in the second as
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) helped her cause with a one-out RBI into right, scoring
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), who had started the inning with a single back up the middle.
Charleston countered with a four-run third inning thanks in part to a bases-clearing double by Raegan West to carry a 5-1 lead into the home half of the third.
Ciliberto (23-9) started in the circle and lasted just the first two innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out one.
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) entered in relief in the top of the third after Ciliberto yielded a leadoff double and escaped the inning with a pair of strikeouts but not before allowing three runs on three hits and a walk.
Charleston added three more runs in the top of the fifth against Edwards, which, following a single up the middle, led to another pitching change for West Chester as
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) entered in relief.
Edwards finished with a final line of six runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work.
Picozzi escaped the jam without any further damage, keeping the deficit at 8-1 heading into the home half of the fifth. West Chester put a pair of runners on with one out in the fifth, but Chloe Elliott escaped the jam with a pair of popups to maintain a seven-run lead heading into the sixth.
Charleston threatened to add another run in the top of the sixth, which would have given the Golden Eagles an eight-run lead, but Picozzi worked out of danger to keep the deficit right where it was.
West Chester got a pair of runners on with one out in the inning once again, using a one-out walk by
Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) and a single by
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) for late life. West Chester moved its runner to second and third after a fly ball down the right-field line by
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), although this did give Elliott a big second out. Entering the game as a pinch-hitter
, Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) worked a walk, loading the bases for Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca), who drove in a run with an RBI single to the left side, cutting the deficit to 8-2.
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) kept the comeback bid alive with a two-run single to right as the Golden Rams suddenly found themselves trailing by just four (8-4) with two outs in the sixth. Elliott escaped the inning with a ground out to third as the Golden Eagles carried an 8-4 lead into the seventh.
Charleston loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Picozzi got her third out of the inning with a lazy fly ball to Melvin in the center, keeping the Golden Eagles lead locked at 8-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
West Chester continued its comeback bid in the home seventh, getting a pair of two-out singles from Best and Marabell before an errant throw on a ground ball of the bat of
Hailey Melvin helped West Chester cut the deficit to 8-5 with runners on the corners and one out. Ciliberto returned to the game to pinch hit for Kane and did a job, flying out to center, which allowed Marabell to score, cutting the deficit to 8-6. Elliott escaped the jam with a strikeout of Wolfe, lifting the Golden Eagles to an 8-6 victory and forcing a decisive game two.
Picozzi pitched well in relief, scattering two hits and three walks while striking out one in 2.1 scoreless innings to finish the game in the circle.
Elliott improved to 11-0 for Charleston with a complete-game effort, which saw her surrender six runs (five earned) on 11 hits while walking two and striking out four.
Game Two: Charleston 7 WCU 1
After a scoreless top of the first, Charleston started the home first with a double off the fence in center. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead just two batters later when Alyssa Lake lined a two-run home run over the left-center field fence to give the hosts an early lead.
After a scoreless top of the second, lightning entered the area and sent the game into a nearly two-hour delay (1 hour 57 minutes official delay time). Ciliberto started the home second with a strikeout before getting her second out via another strikeout and escaping the frame with a ground ball to third, keeping the score locked at 2-0 heading into the third.
Addison Mass also started the third with a strikeout, sitting down
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) to begin a scoreless top of the third.
Rose started the home third with a solo home run to left center, which brought the Charleston crowd to a fever pitch entering the middle innings. Isabella Andujar kept the home crowd on its feet with a stand-up double off the left-field fence. Alyssa Lake brought Andujar around to score moments later with an RBI single to right. Back-to-back fielders choices gave West Chester its first two outs of the inning before West Chester escaped the inning via another groundout, keeping the deficit to 4-0 heading into the fourth.
Mass worked another scoreless fourth inning with a pair of flyouts before ending the frame with a strikeout swinging as the Golden Eagles continued to energize their home crowd.
Ciliberto got two quick outs to start the fourth before a pair of singles gave Charleston runners on first and second with two away. After doubling in the third, Andujar returned to the plate looking to do more damage and did so quickly, hitting a three-run home run to left, extending the lead to 7-0. Lake nearly stretched the lead to 8-0 with a solo home run, but it hooked just foul, and she was later retired on a grounder to short, sending the game to the fifth with Charleston leading 7-0.
West Chester began its comeback bid with a pair of leadoff singles in the top of the fifth before Charleston worked its way out of the jam equally quickly with three line drives to the outfield, maintaining a seven-run lead into the home fifth.
Picozzi entered in relief of Ciliberto in the fifth as the sophomore finished with a final line of seven runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three as she fell to 23-10 on the year.
Picozzi worked a scoreless fifth, and Rittenbaugh led off the sixth with a single, but Mass worked around the early runner well to keep the Golden Ram offense off the scoreboard heading into the home sixth.
Picozzi continued to keep the Bald Eagles off the scoreboard in the home half of the sixth to keep the score at 7-0 heading into the seventh.
Marabell helped West Chester avoid the shutout with a long solo home run to lead off the seventh, placing it in the pool beyond the left-field fence at the neighboring community center as the score moved to 7-1. Mass settled down after this and got three quick outs to escape the seventh with a 7-1 victory over the Golden Rams.
Making just her 10
th appearance and third start of the year in perhaps the biggest game of the Golden Eagles 2024 season, Mass was outstanding in the circle, going the distance, allowing just one run on six hits, while striking out four to improve to 4-1 on the year and send the Golden Eagles through to the Super Regionals.
Picozzi wrapped her senior season with another strong relief outing, pitching two scoreless and hitless innings while striking out one to silence the potent Charleston offense.
By virtue of East Stroudsburg being eliminated in its regional earlier today, Charleston will now host the Super Regionals on Tuesday and Wednesday against the winner of Kutztown/Shippensburg when that is played on Sunday.
