MELBOURNE, Fl.- The West Chester softball team (1-5) began its Florida trip with a doubleheader against Southern New Hampshire (7-5) on Saturday afternoon at the Space Coast Games. West Chester fell in extra innings for the third time in five games in game one by a 6-3 final before winning the nightcap by a 9-4 final after jumping out to a 5-1 lead through three innings.
Game One: SNHU 6 WCU 3 (9 Innings)
WP: Julianna Colbert (3-2)
LP: Danielle Ciliberto (0-4)
Southern New Hampshire got out to an early 1-0 lead after the first inning, but West Chester answered with two runs in the third courtesy of a passed ball, which scored
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and an RBI double by
Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock), which gave West Chester a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth.
The Penmen tied the game in the fifth with a bases-loaded hit by pitch before West Chester retook the lead in the sixth inning with an RBI groundout off the bat of
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) to give the Golden Rams a 3-2 lead heading into the seventh.
Southern New Hampshire wasted little time in tying the game up in the seventh with an RBI double to left, but West Chester caught Mikaya Alto trying to stretch it into a triple, which helped force extra innings for the third time in five games to open the season.
After a scoreless eighth by both teams, SNHU took the lead in the ninth with an RBI single and a well-placed sac bunt back to the circle, to take a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth. In the home half of the ninth, Colbert struck out the side to finish off her complete-game victory with 15 strikeouts against just two walks and seven hits.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) fell to 0-4 on the year as she allowed three earned runs (six total) in eight innings, while striking out three.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) entered in relief and finished the game in the circle, including the sac bunt, which scored the fifth run, while also striking out another in the setback.
Game Two: WCU 9 SNHU 4
WP: Tooley (1-0)
LP: Charlotte Donovan (3-3)
S: Maci Strechay (1)
Southern New Hampshire scored the first run of the game in the home half of the first inning via an error before West Chester scored four runs in the second with back-to-back RBI triples by
Presley Foote (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and Kearney before Kearney scored on an error off the bat of
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J/Moorestown).
Fitzpatrick stretched the lead to 5-1 in the third with an RBI double before a passed ball in the sixth plated
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) to give the Golden Rams a 6-1 lead.
Mikaya Alto doubled home a pair and scored on an error in the sixth, which cut the lead to 6-4 heading into the seventh.
Natalie Colwell (Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal) cleared the bases with a three-RBI double in the seventh, which extended the Golden Ram lead to 9-4.
Tooley earned her first win of the year with 5.1 strong innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and four walks, while striking out three.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) earned her first collegiate save with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out one to close out the Golden Rams first win of the season.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow against Bentley and U Indy at 10 a.m. and 12:15 before enjoying a well-deserved day off on Monday ahead of a pair of games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
