WEST CHESTER, Pa.- In need of a doubleheader sweep on the last day of the regular season to earn a spot in the PSAC Tournament, the West Chester University softball team (27-24, 17-15) got exactly what it was looking for as the Golden Rams swept a doubleheader from Bloomsburg (26-20, 16-16) on Senior Day in West Chester on Saturday afternoon. West Chester captured game one by a 4-3 final in eight innings thanks to a Gianna Liciardello (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) walk off double as West Chester earned its first extra-inning win of the season before erasing an early three-run deficit in the nightcap for an 8-7 victory, which punched the Golden Rams ticket back to the PSAC Tournament in Binghamton, New York after missing the Tournament field last Spring.

Before the doubleheader sweep, West Chester honored its senior class, which included Gianna Liciardello (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy), Gia Borelli (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson), Avelyn Van Heyst (Aaronsburg, Pa./Penns Valley), Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon), Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), and Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North).

Today's doubleheader sends West Chester back to the PSAC Tournament after narrowly missing the field last year with a split at Bloomsburg in the regular-season finale. West Chester qualifies for the Tournament by virtue of a tiebreaker over Lock Haven (WCU finished the year 3-1 vs Shepherd, while LHU was 0-4 vs Shepherd).

Game One: WCU 4 Bloomsburg 3 (8 Innings)

WP: Danielle Ciliberto (12-9) LP: Josie Straigis (7-13)

Fitzpatrick started the doubleheader with a solo shot to center in the second, which gave West Chester an early 1-0 lead.

Bloomsburg countered in the top of the third with a solo home run to left to tie the game at 1-1, before Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) gave West Chester a 2-1 lead back heading into the seventh with an RBI single to left.

Bloomsburg answered in the home seventh with an RBI single down the third-base line before adding another run in the eighth to take a 3-2 lead.

Entering play on Saturday, West Chester was 0-9 in extra inning games but the Golden Rams picked the perfect time to break this streak as O'Neal doubled home Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) in the eighth to tie the game before Liciardello had her senior day moment with an RBI double to left center moments later, which scored O'Neal and lifted West Chester to a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory.

Ciliberto went the distance in game one, allowing just three runs on seven hits, while striking out seven in eight innings of work to improve to 12-9 on the year.

Josie Straigis (7-13) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on 12 hits, while walking two and striking out three.

Game Two: WCU 8 Bloomsburg 7

WP: Maci Strechay (5-10) LP: Becca Varhula (7-1)  S: Ciliberto (5)

In the nightcap, Straigis gave Bloomsburg an early 3-0 lead with a three-run blast to left in the first inning before Holly Muni (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) got a run back with an RBI single to center in the second, which cut the deficit to 3-1.

Bloomsburg added another in the third via a Straigis sac fly, which stretched the lead to 4-1.

O'Neal hit her sixth home run of the season and first since late March in the third inning, a two-run blast, which scored Fitzpatrick and cut the lead to 4-3.

Hopkins tied the game in the fourth with a long sac fly, which off the bat appeared as if it might be her 29^th career home run, which would've moved her into a tie for first in career home runs in the regular-season finale.

Fitzpatrick followed this up with an RBI single up the middle to plate Julia Miller (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown), which gave the Golden Rams a 5-4 lead heading into the fifth.

In the fifth, Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) hit her second home run in as many days, this time a three-run blast to left, which scored Muni and Ciliberto and gave West Chester an 8-4 lead.

This four-run lead proved vital as  Sydney Thompson got three runs back with one swing for Bloomsburg in the seventh with a home run to right center, which cut the lead to 8-7. The Huskies had runners on for the remainder of the top of the seventh, threatening to score the tying and potentially go-ahead run late, but Ciliberto, who had entered in relief of Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), slammed the door for her fifth save of the season to help West Chester to an 8-7 comeback victory.

Strechay earned the victory in relief of Jaelyn Silfies (Bangor, Pa./Bangor), who had gotten the start in the regular-season finale. Silfies pitched the first two innings, allowing three unearned runs on a hit and three walks, while striking out one. Strechay earned her fifth win of the season with four strong innings in relief, allowing three runs on seven hits, while striking out a pair.

Becca Varhula got the start for Bloomsburg and allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits, while walking one. Straigis allowed three runs on four hits, while walking one and striking out another.

Up Next

West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday morning in a PSAC Tournament opening game in Binghamton, beginning at 10 a.m., as the Golden Rams face the fourth seed from the PSAC West to open the Tournament.