WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (24-22, 14-14) returned to action on Friday afternoon in an important doubleheader against East Stroudsburg (28-16, 16-10). After sweeping the first doubleheader of the year against the Warriors in Stroudsburg for the first time since April 2018, West Chester fell to East Stroudsburg by a 4-1 final in game one and a 5-4 final in eight innings in the nightcap after holding a 4-3 lead with two outs in the seventh.
Game One: ESU 4 WCU 1
WP: Sarah Davenport (17-8)
LP: Maci Strechay (4-9)
East Stroudsburg took an early 1-0 lead in the second with a solo home run to right before
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) tied the game at 1-1 in the home half with an RBI single, which scored
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy), who had doubled earlier in the inning.
East Stroudsburg countered with a two-run single in the third and added a fourth and final run on a solo home run to center in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.
West Chester threatened in the sixth with runners on the corners with one out and had a runner on second with no outs in the seventh after a leadoff walk and subsequent stolen base by Zoldi, but Sarah Davenport (17-8) worked out of danger in both innings for her 17
th victory of the season.
Davenport went the distance for ESU in game one, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks, while striking out seven.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) (4-9) suffered the loss for West Chester, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks in 4.1 innings.
Jaelyn Silfies (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) worked 2.2 scoreless innings in relief, striking out four in the setback.
Game Two ESU 5 WCU 4 (8 Innings)
WP: Tessa Guenette (10-4)
LP: Danielle Ciliberto (10-9)
West Chester got out to an early 1-0 lead in game two, scoring first on a sac fly from
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), which capitalized on an early Warrior error to give West Chester its first lead of the afternoon.
East Stroudsburg tied the game at 1-1 in the second, but West Chester responded with three runs in the second with a two-RBI single by Zoldi and an RBI fielder's choice by
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) to give West Chester a 4-1 lead heading into the third.
East Stroudsburg got a pair of runs back in the fourth and nearly tied the game if not for a strong relay from Zoldi to
Gia Borelli (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) to
Holly Muni (Hamilton, N.J./Allentown) to cut down the potential tying run and keep a 4-3 lead intact heading into home fourth.
Just one out away from finishing off an important 4-3 victory over East Stroudsburg, the Warriors tied the game with one swing with a solo home run to left center to tie the game at 4-4 and eventually force extra innings.
After a scoreless home half of the seventh, East Stroudsburg started the eighth with a double, and after a pair of groundouts, including an RBI groundout by Katie Master, took a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Fitzpatrick doubled to center with one out in the eighth, but the Warriors got a groundout for a big second out before escaping the game with a strikeout of
Avelyn Van Heyst (Aaronsburg, Pa./Penns Valley) to hold off the Golden Rams for a 5-4 victory in eight innings as West Chester remains in search of its first extra-inning victory of the season.
Ciliberto suffered the loss for West Chester, allowing five runs on nine hits, while striking out three as she fell to 10-9 on the season.
Meadow Lake got the start for ESU and lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits, while striking out a pair.
Tessa Guenette earned her 10
th win of the season in relief as she tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, scattering four hits and a walk, while striking out four.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Friday at Shepherd for its final road trip of the regular season before hosting Bloomsburg in West Chester on May 2, which will also be Senior Day.
