WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (10-8, 2-0) will put its eight-game winning streak to the test on Tuesday afternoon against Millersville (13-7, 3-1) in a doubleheader in West Chester beginning at 1 p.m.
West Chester vs Millersville
Game Details: March 24 I 1 & 3 P.M.
Location: WCU Softball Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 87-54-1
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Last Time Out
West Chester opened PSAC East play with a sweep of Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon, capturing game one by a 5-3 final before winning the nightcap 10-2 in six innings. In the first game of the afternoon, Lock Haven got out to an early 2-0 lead before
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) singled home a pair to tie the game at 2-2. Lock Haven retook a 3-2 lead, but
Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) answered the call with a solo home run to tie the game at 3-3 before an
Avelyn Van Heyst (Aaronsburg, Pa./Penns Valley) sac fly gave West Chester a 4-3 lead that the Golden Rams would never relinquish.
Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) added a valuable insurance run in the sixth with a single to left.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) earned her sixth win of the season as she got better and better as the game went on, going the distance in the circle, scattering just eight hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out three.
In the nightcap, Marabell gave West Chester an early two-run lead with a two-run home run to center in the first inning before Lock Haven homered in the fourth and fifth to tie the game at 2-2. West Chester countered with a six-run fifth inning, including a bases-clearing double by Marabell, a two-run home run by O'Neal, and a home run by
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) to take an 8-2 lead.
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) blasted a home run of her own to lead off the home half of the sixth before O'Neal drove in the game-ending run with an RBI single to left to finish off the 10-2 victory in six innings.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) earned her first collegiate win (1-4) with 1.1 innings of scoreless, hitless relief of
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), while also striking out a pair.
Flock Talk
With its explosive sweep of Lock Haven on Saturday, West Chester increased its team batting average for the season to .307 as Fitzpatrick and O'Neal lead the team at .450 (18-for-40) and .407 (22-for-54), respectively. O'Neal rocketed to the top of the team home run chart last week with three home runs in four games and has driven in a team-best 12 runs, while scoring eight more.
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) is third in batting average at .393 (24-for-61) with eight doubles, one triple, and a home run, while scoring a team-best 18 runs and driving in nine more. Kearney and Ciliberto are the final two Golden Rams batting north of .300 entering the final games of March at .392 (20-for-51) and .310 (13-for-42), respectively.
In the circle, Ciliberto has improved to 6-4 on the year during the course of the Golden Rams eight-game winning streak, while lowering her ERA to 3.50. The senior has struck out a staff-high 28 in 56.0 innings of work. Tooley and Strechay continue to share the starting role with Ciliberto, logging 28.2 (12 APP/4 GS) and 30.2 (11 APP/6 GS) innings of work with records of 3-0 and 1-4 and ERAs of 3.42 and 3.20 on the season.
We Are Honored
O'Neal was recognized as the PSAC East Athlete of the Week this week after going 10-for-15 (.667) at the plate with five extra-base hits (two doubles, three home runs) with four runs scored and 10 RBI. O'Neal homered in three of four games last week, including both ends of the doubleheader sweep of Lock Haven on Saturday.
Powering Up
West Chester has won each of its last eight games, outscoring opponents 60-22, including a 10-0 win over Wilmington, a 10-2 win over Lock Haven, and a 9-1 win over Jefferson. Each of these three wins came in six innings or less, with Wilmington and Jefferson being decided in five, while the Lock Haven victory took six innings.
Home Sweet Home
After going 12-6 at home last spring, West Chester is a perfect 6-0 to open its home slate this season, outscoring opponents 50-17 in its first six home victories dating back to a 10-0 win over Wilmington on 3/15 in its home opener.
Comeback Kids
West Chester erased an early deficit in game one against Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon and, in doing so, has overcome a deficit five times during its eight-game winning streak, including a six-run deficit in game two of its sweep of Jefferson.
Series History
West Chester holds a 87-54-1 lead in the all-time series against Millersville, including a pair of splits with the Marauders last spring. West Chester won the first and final games of the series against Millersville with an 8-6 win at Millersville in 10 innings last March to begin the series before winning the series finale 9-1 in six innings.
Scouting Millersville
Millersville enters play on Tuesday at 13-7 on the year and 3-1 in league play after splitting a doubleheader with Lock Haven (L, 12-1/W, 13-8) to open league play on Friday and sweeping a doubleheader from Mansfield (W, 3-2/W, 6-5) on Saturday at home. Against Mansfield, Millersville got out to an early lead and never trailed, scoring the final and go-ahead run in the home third with a solo home run to left center off the bat of Jaylee Lose for her third RBI of the afternoon. Delaney Troxell went the distance in the circle, scattering nine hits and a pair of runs, while striking out seven to improve to 8-3. In the nightcap, Millersville trailed 4-0 early and 5-1 heading into the fifth before a four-run fifth inning, led by a three-run home run by Lose, tied the game at 5-5. Millersville scored the game-winning run via an error in the sixth to escape with a 6-5 comeback victory. Troxell improved to 9-3 in relief in the nightcap as she pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, while striking out one to slow the Mansfield offense.
Lexi Pickett, who reached on the error that won the game for Millersville on Saturday night, is batting a team-best .580 (29-for-50) on the year with nine doubles and five home runs for 19 RBI and 18 runs scored. Cecilia McBeth is batting .419 (26-for-62) with eight doubles and a triple, while Lose, who was a major storyline on Saturday, is now batting .400 (18-for-45) on the year with four doubles, a triple, and her two home runs. Lose has driven in 14 runs and scored five, and is second on the team in RBI, trailing only Pickett and Cara Mazzucco, who are tied for the team lead with 19 each.
In the circle, Troxell is 9-3 in 12 appearances and 10 starts with a 2.55 ERA and a .253 batting average against with 46 strikeouts in 60.1 innings of work. Troxell is the only Marauder pitcher who has thrown more than 17.2 innings so far this spring.
Up Next
West Chester will head out on the road on Friday to visit Mansfield for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. before returning home to host Shippensburg on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 1 p.m.
