WEST CHESTER, PA –
Paige Marabell's (Tunkhannock, Pa. Tunkhannock) line drive single to left field with two outs and runners at second and third handed host West Chester the walk-off win in game two and completed the softball doubleheader sweep over Lock Haven on a beautiful Monday afternoon.
With the sweep, West Chester (25-12, 11-9 PSAC East), which captured the opener 15-0 in five innings, has now won three straight and six of its last seven while Lock Haven (13-19, 7-15) saw its four-game win streak heading into the day snapped.
Marabell laced a 2-2 pitch from Lock Haven hurler Talia Ross (6-9) over the shortstop's head and into left field, plating
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa. Hatboro-Horsham) with the winning run. West Chester entered its final at bats of regulation tied at 4-4 with the Bald Eagles. Tearney singled deep in the hole at shortstop, and
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Senaca) then sacrificed the runners over to second and third for the first out of the game. Following a foul out, Marabell stepped to the plate for her magic moment.
Freshman pitcher
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa. Hatboro-Horsham) came on in relief in the fourth inning and secured her fourth win of the year in the circle to improve to 4-1. She was the third pitcher of the day for the Golden Rams and entered with the game knotted at 4-4 in the fourth.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa. Wissahickon) homered in the bottom of the fifth to tie things up. She finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and the HR in the nightcap.
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) finished 2-for-2 with a two-run single in the bottom of the first.
Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) had an RBI single in the first as well to help stake West Chester to a 3-0 lead after one.
Tooley pitched the final two innings and struck out three. She relieved Ciliberto in the fourth without allowing an inherited runner to score. Ciliberto, who came on for starter
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton), surrendered two unearned runs on three hits in 1.1 innings inside the circle. Edwards lasted 3.2 innings, giving up two home runs and three hits. She walked one and struck out two.
In the opener, West Chester blew open a tight ballgame with a 13-run fourth inning aided by a miscue from Lock Haven. The Golden Rams sent 18 players to the plate during the ill-fated fourth and scored 13 runs on 10 hits. Four batters scored two runs each in the fourth inning alone. The Golden Rams recorded five extra-base hits as well.
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) finished 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI in game one. Marabell was the star once again going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles and a pair of runs scored.
Gianna Liciardello (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and a pair of runs as well. Kearney had a hit and scored a pair of runs in the opener.
Ciliberto went 1-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI. She tossed a complete game shutout in the circle to improve to 12-5 as well. She allowed two hits, walked one, struck out one and hit a batter. She also benefited from two double plays in the field.
After claiming the season series from Lock Haven, 3 games to 1, West Chester is back on the diamond again tomorrow at Kutztown for another critical Eastern Division showdown. Game one of that twin bill begins at 1 p.m.
