WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following its third doubleheader sweep in a row over Jefferson on Thursday night, the West Chester University softball team (8-8) is preparing to open PSAC East play against Lock Haven (8-6) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in West Chester.
West Chester vs Lock Haven
Game Details: March 21 I 1 & 3 P.M.
Location: WCU Softball Field
Series: 28-17 (Since 2005)
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Last Time Out
West Chester stretched its winning streak to six in a row on Thursday evening with a doubleheader sweep of Jefferson, which returned the Golden Rams to .500 (8-8) on the season. West Chester captured game one by a 9-1 final in five innings, thanks in part to a pair of home runs by
Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) and
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon), along with a great pitching performance by Ciliberto as the senior struck out seven in five innings of work. In the nightcap, West Chester found itself down 6-0 heading into the home half of the third but responded with six runs in the third, five in the fourth, and another in the fifth on 11 hits and four Jefferson errors to erase the early deficit and roll to a 12-8 victory in the nightcap.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) improved to 3-0 in the nightcap as she entered in relief in the second inning and worked into the sixth, allowing just two runs on five hits, while striking out a pair. Ciliberto finished the game in the circle, pitching a scoreless 1.2 with two strikeouts to seal the doubleheader sweep.
Flock Talk
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) is first on the team in batting average at .412 (14-for-34) with two doubles and eight RBI, along with nine runs scored.
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) remains the team leader in runs scored with 16 as she is batting .389 (21-for-54) with six doubles, a triple, and a home run. Hopkins has also driven in nine runs so far this season. O'Neal,
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), and Ciliberto are also batting north of .300 this year at .370, .356, and .343, respectively. Ciliberto leads the team in RBI with 12 after hitting her first home run of the season yesterday, which made her one of four Golden Rams to leave the yard so far this season. Kearney is second on the team in runs scored with 12, trailing only Hopkins.
In the circle, Ciliberto has rapidly improved to 5-4 on the year and lowered her ERA to 3.71 with two complete games and a shutout in 49 innings of work. The senior has struck out 25 so far in 2026 and has allowed just seven walks. Tooley is 3-0 with a save in the circle after her game two victory on Thursday and has a 3.50 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 24.0 innings of work.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) remains first on the team in saves with three in 10 appearances as she enters the weekend with a 3.34 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work.
Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself
A career .221 (42-for-190) hitter in her first two seasons as a Golden Ram, Kearney is in the midst of what appears to be a breakout season in 2026 as she is batting .356 (16-for-45) with two doubles (including one on Thursday, which missed being her second career home run by a matter of inches/an untimely gust of wind) and a triple for 12 runs scored and nine RBI. The speedy centerfielder, who has always been held in high regard for her excellent defense and ability to track down fly balls in the gaps, is slugging a career-best .444 so far this season and also has a .396 on-base percentage, while also going 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts so far this season.
Comeback Kids
After finding itself on the wrong end of late game comebacks and extra inning losses to begin the season, West Chester has flipped the script in this winning streak, winning four of its six games in comeback fashion, including the win over Franklin Pierce, which sparked the streak, the game two win over Wilmington on Sunday, and the sweep of Jefferson on Thursday afternoon.
Heating Up
West Chester's bats have also started to find a new level in recent weeks as the team is outscoring opponents 35-17 during this six-game winning streak, including a 10-0 win in five innings over a perennially strong Wilmington team on Sunday. This streak has helped West Chester increase its team batting average to .291 on the season, after entering play on Thursday with the average hovering around .275.
Moving On Up
Ciliberto continued her historic career on Thursday as she registered her 61
st career victory, which moved her into a tie with Shannon Padula for second in team history. The senior remains 40 wins away from the all-time win record held by Amanda Houck (101; 2015-18) but will have an excellent chance to move into solo second with a win on Saturday afternoon. Ciliberto is already the career saves leader with 13 in her career and is also steadily climbing the career appearances list as she broke into the top-five on that list earlier this season.
Series History
Since 2005, West Chester holds a 28-17 lead over Lock Haven, including a 3-1 win in the season series last spring. West Chester split the doubleheader at Lock Haven last March with an 18-2 win in game one and a 3-2 loss in the nightcap before sweeping the doubleheader in West Chester with a 15-0 win in game one before a 5-4 victory in game two to win the season series. West Chester has not lost to Lock Haven at home since April 2024 (3-1) and has not been swept by the Bald Eagles in West Chester since April 2009.
Scouting Lock Haven
Lock Haven enters its first weekend of PSAC East play at 8-6 on the year after splitting a doubleheader at home against Jefferson on Sunday afternoon, with an 8-4 win in game one and a 13-2 loss in the nightcap. Before the Bald Eagles visit West Chester, they will make a stop at Millersville this afternoon for a two-game set with the Marauders beginning at 2 p.m. Lock Haven will play its first home games of PSAC East play next Tuesday afternoon against Mansfield beginning at 2 p.m.
Olivia LeMeau leads Lock Haven offensively, batting .375 (15-for-40) with five doubles and two home runs for seven RBI. Blaire Balestrini is batting .364 (16-for-44) on the year with a double, a triple, and a team-best three home runs for a team-leading 11 RBI, while Madison Melius leads the team in runs scored with 12 and a .282 (11-for-39) batting average. In the circle, Talia Ross is 6-1 on the year with a 2.40 ERA and four complete games, including a pair of shutouts. The sophomore ace has struck out 65 in 46.2 innings, holding opponents to a .206 batting average against. Faith Persing is 2-3 on the year with a 5.96 ERA and just eight strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work, and opponents bat .347 against her. Keiva Middleton has not had much better luck for Lock Haven, entering play 0-2 on the year with an 8.49 ERA and a .357 batting average against, with seven strikeouts in 15.2 innings of work.
Up Next
West Chester will conclude its homestand on March 24 against Millersville in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. before visiting Mansfield on Friday, March 27, for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
