KUTZTOWN, Pa.- Finishing a three-doubleheader in a three-day stretch, the West Chester University softball team (15-11, 7-3) took to the road on Tuesday afternoon to renew its rivalry with Kutztown (16-12, 7-3). West Chester fell victim to a late-game comeback in game one as the Golden Bears halted the Golden Rams four-game winning streak with a 4-3 win in 10 innings before the Golden Rams held off the Golden Bears in game two, thanks in part to a
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) home run in the seventh for a 4-3 victory.
Game One Kutztown 4 WCU 3 (10 Innings)
WP: Haley Gravish (11-4)
LP: Danielle Ciliberto (8-6)
The Golden Rams carried a one-run lead into the home half of the sixth after scoring in both the second and third innings, but the Golden Bears tied the game in the sixth with an RBI single to left before scoring a pair in the 10
th for a 4-3 win in the first game of the doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.
West Chester and Kutztown both singled to start the top and bottom of the first inning, but neither side was able to do much with the early singles as the game remained scoreless heading into the second inning.
Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) led off the second with a single and later scored on a Golden Bear fielding error off the bat of
Holly Muni (Hamilton, N.J./Allentown) with two outs in the inning to give the visiting Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead.
A pair of defensive miscues by West Chester in the second was enough for the Golden Bears to erase their early one-run deficit and tie the game at 1-1.
In the top of the third,
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) wasted little time making up for her second-inning defensive miscues as she started the inning with a two-strike double to right center for the Golden Rams' third leadoff hit of the afternoon off Kutztown's Amanda Slabicki. After singling to leadoff the game,
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) picked up an RBI with a long fly ball into foul ground down the right field line, which Morgan Kocher was able to track down but it was deep enough for Miller to tag and score from second under a high throw to give West Chester back a 2-1 lead.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) needed just five pitches to work a scoreless home half of the third as she got a pair of fly outs to center and left and a grounder to short to work a rapid 1,2,3 inning.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) kept the Golden Rams leadoff single streak alive to begin the fourth with a 1-0 single back up the middle to reach and force an early Kutztown pitching change as Abbey Wagner entered in relief of Slabicki. Wagner got two quick outs on five pitches, including a strikeout of
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) to begin her after noon before
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) rocketed a 1-2 offering down the first-base line for a single, giving West Chester runners on the corners with two outs. Miller followed this up with a six-pitch walk to load the bases for the ever-dangerous Hopkins. Wagner escaped the jam with a grounder to third, which kept the score locked at 2-1 heading into the home half of the fourth.
Kutztown got the tying run into scoring position with a one-out double in the sixth, which led to West Chester going to the bullpen as the Golden Rams turned to Ciliberto in relief of Strechay. Ciliberto was greeted with an RBI single to left, which tied the game at 2-2 before finishing the sixth with a grounder to short to keep the score tied at 2-2.
Hopkins singled to open the seventh and found her way to third with two outs after a sac bunt and a groundout to second, placing the potential winning run just 60 feet away. Kutztown navigated its way out of the inning, and West Chester countered with a scoreless home half to force extra innings yet again.
After scoreless eighth and ninth innings, West Chester took a 3-2 lead in the 10
th with a sacrifice fly off the bat of O'Neal as the Golden Rams held a slim lead heading into the home half of the 10
th. In the home half, Kutztown took advantage of a throwing error to score both the tying run and game-winning run to escape with a 4-3 victory over the Golden Rams.
Ciliberto suffered the loss in relief as the senior entered with a one-run lead and a runner in scoring position in the sixth and allowed that tying run to cross before giving up a pair of unearned runs in the 10
th after the Golden Rams third error of the afternoon. Ciliberto allowed three hits and struck out a pair in four innings of work.
Strechay got the start and suffered a hard-luck no-decision as the freshman pitched well for much of the afternoon, allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits, while striking out two in 5.1 innings of work, using just 62 pitches to record the first 16 outs of the afternoon.
Haley Gravish earned the win in relief, entering in the seventh and allowing just two hits and the one unearned run in the 10
th in relief of Slabicki and Wagner.
Slabicki got the start and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in three innings of work before Wagner entered and scattered four hits and a walk, while striking out one in her three innings of action.
Game Two WCU 4 Kutztown 3
WP: Alyssa Tooley (5-1)
LP: Slabicki (2-6)
S: Ciliberto (2)
Kutztown got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single into center before West Chester answered back with three runs on five hits in the top of the third, including RBI singles by O'Neal and Ciliberto following a sac fly from
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy), which scored Miller to tie the game at 1-1 earlier in the inning.
Kutztown started the home third with a leadoff triple and got a run back moments later with a sac fly, which cut the Golden Ram lead to 3-2.
Hopkins continued her big afternoon with a solo home run to right center in the top of the seventh, which stretched the lead to 4-2 and gave West Chester what would prove to be a vital insurance run heading into the home half of the seventh.
Kutztown attempted to force extra innings for the second time today in the home half of the seventh, cutting the deficit to one (4-3) with an RBI groundout for the second out of the inning. Kutztown had a runner on second with two outs, but Ciliberto, who had entered in the sixth, finished the game with a groundball to short to pick up the save and finish off a 4-3 victory for an important split with the Golden Bears.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) (5-1) got the start and worked into the sixth, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out a pair in five innings of work. Ciliberto earned her second save of the year and second in as many days with two innings in relief, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out a pair as well.
Slabicki (2-6) suffered the loss for Kutztown, allowing three runs on four hits, while striking out one in 2.2 innings of work. Gravish entered in relief in the third and finished the game in the circle, pitching the final 4.1, allowing just five hits and one run, while striking out three.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action at home on Friday afternoon against Shepherd, beginning at 1 p.m.
