WEST CHESTER, Pa.-After an important sweep at Millersville on Tuesday afternoon, the West Chester University softball team (24-20, 14-12) returned home on Thursday to host the PSAC East-leading Kutztown University Golden Bears (30-16, 19-7). Originally scheduled to be played on Saturday afternoon, but moved up to Thursday due to rain in the forecast on Saturday, West Chester dropped game one of the doubleheader by a 10-1 final in five innings before falling 9-3 in the nightcap.
With its sweep of West Chester today, Kutztown extends its lead atop the PSAC East and wins the season series (3-1) over West Chester since the 2021 regular season, when Kutztown also took three of four against West Chester. West Chester now finds itself in need of wins down the stretch to remain in position for a PSAC Tournament appearance, as the Golden Rams are currently in a tie with Shepherd for the fifth and final spot in the PSAC East standings, although the Rams hold the tiebreaker over the Golden Rams after sweeping a doubleheader in West Chester earlier this spring.
Game One: Kutztown 10 WCU 1 (5 Innings)
WP: Amanda Slabicki (6-8)
LP: Jaelyn Silfies (1-1)
Kutztown jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning and added another run in the third, along with three each in the fourth and fifth, to take a commanding 10-0 lead over the Golden Rams.
West Chester threatened throughout the opening game, getting a runner on second with two outs in the second after back-to-back singles by
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) and
Holly Muni (Hamilton, N.J./Allentown), but Kutztown's Amanda Slabicki worked out of trouble to keep the Golden Rams off the scoreboard early.
West Chester threatened again in the fourth with runners on the corners with two outs after a single by Fitzpatrick, but Slabicki worked out of danger once again to preserve a 7-0 lead heading into the fifth.
After allowing three more runs in the fifth, West Chester got its first and only run of the game in the home fifth when
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) singled home a run with the Golden Rams' third consecutive one-out single, but this was as close as the Golden Rams could get in the 10-1 setback.
Jaelyn Silfies (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) (1-1) suffered the loss for West Chester in game one, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits in 3.2 innings of work as she fell to1-1 on the season.
Amanda Slabicki (6-8) earned the win for Kutztown, allowing just one run on seven hits and a walk in five innings of work.
Game Two Kutztown 9 WCU 3
WP: Haley Gravish (19-6)
LP: Danielle Ciliberto (10-8) S: Abbey Wagner (2)
Kutztown scored the first run of the game in the first inning and added three more in the third to take an early 4-0 lead.
West Chester got a run back in the third when Muni led off the inning with a solo home run to left center, but Gravish settled back in quickly and got out of the third with no additional damage to carry a 4-1 lead into the fourth.
West Chester continued its comeback bid in the fifth with an RBI groundout by Miller and an RBI single by
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon), which cut the lead to 4-3 heading to the sixth.
After allowing a pair of runs in the fifth, Kutztown responded with a five-run sixth to take a commanding 9-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth.
West Chester got a two-out double from Muni in the sixth and a pair of runners on in the seventh, but it wasn't enough to erase the six-run deficit. West Chester dropped the nightcap by a 9-3 final to the East-leading Golden Bears.
Gravish (19-6) earned the victory, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, while striking out one. Wagner entered in relief and earned her second save of the season with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, scattering three hits, while striking out one.
Ciliberto (10-8) took the loss, allowing eight runs on 12 hits, while striking out five in 5.1 innings of work.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) entered in relief and pitched the final 1.2 innings, allowing a run on two hits, while striking out one after also getting the final out of the game one loss.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Friday at home against East Stroudsburg, beginning at 1 p.m.
