BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- Looking to bounce back from a sweep at the hands of Shepherd on Friday afternoon, the West Chester University softball team (16-14, 8-6) bounced back with a split on Saturday afternoon at Bloomsburg (16-8, 7-5) dropping game one by a 4-1 final before winning the nightcap by a 9-3 final after exploding for five runs in the sixth inning to break what at the time was a tie game open.
Game One: Bloomsburg 4 WCU 1
WP: Sarah Yamrick (8-3)
LP: Maci Strechay (2-6)
Bloomsburg took a 2-0 lead after three innings with a pair of RBI doubles in the first and third innings before
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) broke up the shutout in the fourth with a solo home run, which cut the lead to 2-1.
Bloombsurg answered in the sixth with a two-run blast of its own to take a commanding 4-1 lead over the Golden Rams.
Sarah Yamrick was excellent in the victory, allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out to improve to 8-3 on the year.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) (2-6) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out one in 3.2 innings.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) entered in relief and pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out one in the setback.
Game Two: WCU 9 Bloomsburg 3
WP: Ciliberto (9-7)
LP: Becca Varhula (2-1)
Bloomsburg got out to an early 1-0 lead once again on a Golden Ram error before
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) tied the game with an RBI single and
Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) gave West Chester its first lead of the day with an RBI double to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Golden Rams.
In the home half of the second, Bloomsburg answered with an RBI double before
Gianna Liciardello (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) put West Chester back out in front with a fifth-inning RBI single to right, stretching the lead to 3-2.
Bloomsburg answered with a solo home run in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3 before West Chester exploded for six runs in the sixth inning, including a two-RBI single by Miller, an RBI double by Hopkins, another RBI single by Ciliberto and a sac fly RBI by Liciardello to take an 8-3 lead into the home half of the sixth.
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) stretched the lead to 9-3 in the seventh with an RBI single of her own as West Chester cruised to the six-run victory.
Ciliberto (9-7) earned the win in relief, delivering two scoreless innings in relief of
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and Strechay, scattering three hits and striking out five. Tooley allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings of work before Strechay entered and delivered three strong innings, allowing just one run on one hit before exiting for Ciliberto in the fifth.
Josie Straigis got the start for Bloomsburg in the nightcap and allowed five runs on five hits and four walks in five innings of work before Becca Varhula entered to finish the sixth and allowed three runs on four hits in the loss.
The bottom third of the Golden Ram lineup was excellent in the game two victory as
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), Zoldi, and Miller all recorded two hits as Kearney scored a team-high three runs, while Miller drove in a team-best three runs.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Thursday afternoon at home against Felician, beginning at 1 p.m.
