WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (17-6, 3-3) cracked the National Fastpitch Coaches Association top-25 on Wednesday afternoon, checking in at a tie for 25
th and celebrated its first ranking of the year with a hard-fought split vs #16 Kutztown (19-6, 3-3) on Tuesday afternoon in its PSAC East home opener. Playing at home for just the second time this season, West Chester dropped the opener by a 6-3 final in eight innings before winning game two on a walk-off double by
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) to earn a thrilling 7-6 comeback victory over the Golden Bears.
Game One: #16 Kutztown 6 #25 West Chester 3
WP: Haley Gravish (10-2)
LP: Makenzie Edwards (7-3)
After three scoreless innings to start the game, Kutztown loaded the bases in the fourth and scored the first run of the game via a one-out walk, which ended
Danielle Ciliberto's (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) outing as
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) entered in relief. Edwards got back-to-back ground balls to work out of the jam without any further damage.
Ciliberto ended with a final line of one run on four hits and one walk, while striking out two in 3.1 innings of work.
Gravish was excellent for Kutztown, pitching 5.2 shutout innings before a two-out single by
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) sparked a sixth-inning rally for the Golden Rams.
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) followed this up with a walk, and
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) then singled, scoring pinch-runner
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) to tie the game at 1-1.
West Chester nearly won the game in the seventh as the Golden Rams got back-to-back singles from
Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) and Ciliberto and eventually got runners on second and third with one out after a perfect sac bunt from
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca).
Kutztown took its turn working out of danger at this point, getting a big second out on a run down between third and home on a fielder's choice before
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) stung a ball up the middle of but the Golden Bears second baseman was there to make the play and end the threat.
In the eighth, Edwards encountered her first true trouble of the afternoon, as the Golden Bears started the inning with a walk and a single before taking the lead on a fielder's choice to second. The lead doubled to 3-1 with an RBI single down the third-base line, which led to the end of Edward's afternoon.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) entered in relief and got the second out via a strikeout before allowing a three-run home with two outs in the eighth to make the score 6-3. Tooley settled down quickly after this home run, getting the final out of the eighth via a strikeout.
Edwards (7-3) pitched four strong innings in relief, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks, while striking out a pair.
In the bottom of the eighth, West Chester got back-to-back doubles from Hopkins and Miller to cut the deficit to 6-2 before a sacrifice fly from
Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) cut the deficit to 6-3. Unfortunately, this was as close as West Chester could get to coming all the way back, as Gravish was able to get her final out to secure the 6-3 victory.
Gravish (10-2) was sharp in the victory, pitching the full eight innings, allowing just three runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out five for her 10
th victory of the season.
Game Two: #25 WCU 7 #16 Kutztown 6
WP: Alyssa Tooley (3-0)
LP: Gravish (10-3)
Kutztown jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but West Chester countered quickly as Hopkins led off the home first with a single and later scored on an RBI double from Kane to tie the game at 1-1.
In the second, Kearney gave West Chester its first lead of the game at 2-1 with an RBI double that was ripped into the gap. Before Kutztown tied the game at 2-2 in the third with a single down the left-field line.
Kutztown retook the lead in the fourth with an RBI double to right-center, holding a slim 3-2 lead after three and a half innings.
In the fourth inning, Hopkins restored the lead with a two-run double down the left field line, before Kutztown responded with three more runs on three hits and one error in the fifth, taking a 6-4 lead.
A one-out double by Best in the home fifth helped the Golden Rams cut the deficit in half on a hard-hit ball up the middle that the Golden Bear shortstop couldn't handle from Marabell to make it a 6-5 game. Melvin followed this up with a single over the third-base bag to tie the game at 6-6 with one out in the fifth.
Jaelyn Silfies (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) got the start and allowed two runs on five hits through 2.1 innings while striking out one. Ciliberto entered in relief and allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits, while striking out one as well.
Tooley entered and pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh, sending the game to the home half of the seventh tied at 6-6.
After a Marabell flyout to start the inning, Ciliberto singled up the middle, giving West Chester a one-out runner, which allowed her to score when Melvin drove a double into the right-center field gap, lifting West Chester to a 7-6 walk-off victory.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Friday afternoon against Mansfield, beginning at 1 p.m.
