BINGHAMTON, N.Y.- Following a pair of wins to open the PSAC Tournament yesterday, the West Chester University softball team (29-24) returned to action on Thursday afternoon, just over 12 hours after closing out a thrilling 9-5 victory over PSAC East Regular Season Champion Kutztown late on Wednesday night in Binghamton. East Stroudsburg (35-17) opened the PSAC Tournament with an 18-6 victory over Slippery Rock last night and advanced to Friday on Thursday afternoon with a 10-1 victory over West Chester in five innings to remain unbeaten at the PSAC Tournament.
East Stroudsburg needed little time to jump out to an early five-run lead over the Golden Rams, scoring five with one out in the first inning after an RBI double by Delaney Ridell and a grand slam by Katie Master to take a commanding 5-0 lead.
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) cut into the lead with a solo home run, her third of the Tournament in the top of the third before East Stroudsburg countered with five runs in the home half of the third, including a solo shot by Kalye Teman and an RBI singleby Meghan Chroniger along with a pair of bases-loaded walks by Kinsley Proepper and Katie Master and an RBI fielder's choice by Maddy Pritchard to take a 10-1 lead into the fourth.
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) picked up the Golden Rams' second hit of the day to start the fourth, but West Chester was unable to score her as Sarah Davenport set the next three Golden Rams down in order, including a pair of strikeouts to keep the nine-run lead intact.
East Stroudsburg loaded the bases with two outs in the home half of the fourth, but
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) entered in relief of
Jaelyn Silfies (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) and escaped the inning with a strikeout of Chroniger to keep the deficit right where it was heading into the fifth.
After seeing an eight-run lead briefly disintegrate yesterday for just long enough to force the Warriors to play the full seven innings in an 18-6 victory over Slippery Rock, Davenport and East Stroudsburg ensured there would not be a repeat performance on Thursday as the Warriors set the Golden Rams down in order by a 10-1 final to advance in the winners bracket, while handing the Golden Rams their first loss of the Tournament.
Sarah Davenport earned the victory for ESU, allowing one run on two hits, while walking one and striking out six to improve to 22-8.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley( suffered the loss for West Chester, allowing five runs on four hits and a pair of walks in just a third of an inning. Silfies entered in relief and allowed five runs on three hits, while walking 11 and striking out 1 in 3.1 innings of work before Tooley got the final out of the fourth with a three-pitch strikeout.
West Chester will now shift its attention to its first elimination game of the weekend as the Golden Rams await the winner of Shepherd/Seton Hill tonight at 5:30.
