Box Scores - L 3-1 / W 5-3

WEST CHESTER - Freshman 3B Brandi Stettler and sophomore DH Alicea Ashe both hit their first career home runs as part of a three-run fifth inning that propelled East Stroudsburg University to a 5-3 win in the second game of a doubleheader at West Chester to open the PSAC East softball schedule on Saturday.

The Golden Rams (17-7, 1-1) claimed the first game 3-1 as Shannon Padula won a pitchers' dual with ESU's Jennifer Bensinger, and led 3-2 going into the top of the fifth in the second game before the Warriors (10-7, 1-1) came back.

Stettler led off the inning with a homer that tied the game at 3-3 and sophomore OF Jamie Mingis singled to put the tying run on base. Mingis moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore SS Brittany Racek, and Ashe followed with her first career homer that put the Warriors ahead 5-3. ESU managed two more base runners before West Chester got out of the inning.

The Golden Rams put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Mingis tracked down pinch hitter Kristin McCoy's line drive to center and doubled pinch runner Jackie DiPaola off second base to end the threat.

Junior pitcher Jackie Battaglino worked around an error to start the seventh inning to seal the victory. She threw her fourth complete game of the season and improved to 5-3.

All of the scoring early in the game came in the first inning, as ESU took a 2-0 lead before West Chester went ahead in the bottom of the inning. Senior C Amanda Feist had a sacrifice bunt to score Racek, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, and senior OF Amanda Dice plated Ashe with a single. The Golden Rams used a walk and two singles by their first three hitters to start a big inning, and the lead held up until the fifth.

In the first game, Kate Kmiencins gave West Chester a 2-0 lead with a home run in the second inning, and the Golden Rams added another run in the fourth to go ahead 3-0. ESU narrowed the margin to 3-1 in the sixth as Racek singled and eventually scored on an error, but the Warriors would get any closer.

ESU hosts Columbia Union in its home opener on Monday and resumes conference play next weekend with trips to Kutztown on Friday and Shippensburg on Saturday.