WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After wrapping up its Spring Trip to Florida with a split doubleheader sweep of Franklin Pierce and Malone on Wednesday, the West Chester University softball team (4-8) is preparing for its long-awaited home opener on Sunday against Wilmington, beginning at 12 p.m.
West Chester vs Wilmington
Game Details: March 15 I 12/2 P.M.
Location: WCU Softball Field (West Chester, Pa.
Series: 19-13
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Last Time Out
West Chester returns north at 4-8 on the year after going 4-4 on its Spring Break trip to Florida, including a split with Southern New Hampshire (L, 6-3; W, 9-4) to begin the trip, and single-game wins over Bentley (7-6), Franklin Pierce (3-2), and Malone (7-3). West Chester won a pair of games on Wednesday against Franklin Pierce and Malone to conclude its trip south and halt a three-game losing streak, which had included losses to Indianapolis, Winona State, and Nova Southeastern on Sunday and Tuesday. Three of the Golden Rams' eight losses so far this season have come in extra innings as West Chester dropped a pair of extra-inning affairs on its opening weekend against Barton before dropping its first game in Florida in nine innings against Southern New Hampshire.
Flock Talk
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) is batting a team-best .385 (10-for-26) with three RBI and five runs scored in 12 games and 10 starts, along with an .871 OPS with a .448 on-base percentage.
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) is second on the team, batting .375 (15-for-340) with three doubles, one triple, and one home run for nine runs scored and six RBI with a team-best 1.032 OPS.
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and
Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) are the two other Golden Rams batting north of .300 this season, batting .324 (11-for-34) and .303 (10-for-33), respectively. Kearney had a big day in the Florida finale on Wednesday and has a team-best seven RBI along with seven runs scored.
In the circle,
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) has thrown a staff-high 35.1 innings, pitching to a record of 2-4 with a 4.56 ERA and a .359 batting average against with 12 strikeouts on the year.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) is 2-0 with a save on the year in 10 appearances and three starts, including a 3.50 ERA and a .243 batting average against with a staff-best 14 strikeouts in 20.0 innings of work.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) leads the staff in saves with three after picking up a pair on Wednesday and has a 2.74 ERA with eight strikeouts in the first 23 innings of her collegiate career.
A Busy Week
Sunday's game will be the first of four doubleheaders in the new week for West Chester, including a Wednesday afternoon set at Holy Family, a pair at home on Thursday against Jefferson, and two more on Saturday against Lock Haven.
On the Horizon
When the Golden Rams take the field again on Sunday, league play will be less than a week away, as the team opens PSAC East play on Saturday against Lock Haven at 1 p.m., before hosting a doubleheader with Millersville on Tuesday, March 24, at 1 p.m.
Series History
Since 2004, West Chester is 19-13 against Wilmington, including a split in the season series in each of the last two seasons to halt a four-game losing streak against the Wildcats. Last time Wilmington visited West Chester, the Golden Rams dropped game one by a 9-1 final before winning game two 2-1 on the strength of a two-run home run by Marabell and a strong pitching performance by Ciliberto. Last Spring, West Chester dropped game one at Wilmington by a 6-4 final after a four-run fourth inning before winning the nightcap by a 5-2 final thanks to a three-run home run in the top of the seventh by Marabell.
Scouting Wilmington
Wilmington heads into the weekend at 3-11 overall ahead of the second-half of its season series with East Stroudsburg on Friday after splitting the first doubleheader at ESU in mid-February. Wilmington has lost nine in a row heading into the weekend, although eight of those nine losses have come on the road in Florida against teams in Florida, including Saint Leo, Embry-Riddle, Florida Tech, and Tampa. The Wildcats are scheduled to host ESU on Friday at 2 and 4 p.m. before visiting West Chester on Sunday in the middle doubleheader of a four-doubleheader stretch against PSAC East teams, with twinbills at home against Bloomsburg and Millersville on the docket for next week.
At the plate, Rylee Malone is batting .429 with six hits in 14 at-bats, while Brianna Greenlaw is batting .357 (5-for-14) with a double and an RBI, along with two runs scored. Mia Lane is the lone player to play in all 14 games for Wilmington so far this season and enters play on Friday batting .226 with seven hits, including two doubles and two home runs for a team-best seven RBI and five runs scored.
In the circle, Maddie Vollmar is 1-5 with a 6.59 ERA in 28.2 innings of work, striking out 18 while giving up 43 hits and 28 runs. Kasey Xenidis and Olivia Hitchens both also have a win so far this season, entering play at 1-3 and 1-2 with ERAs of 5.53 and 6.63, respectively.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon at Holy Family beginning at 2 p.m. before hosting a make-up doubleheader against Jefferson on Thursday at 2 p.m. ahead of its conference opener against Lock Haven on Saturday, March 21, at 1 p.m.
