Box Scores
L 2-0 / W 6-5 (10 inn.)

KUTZTOWN – Junior CF Alicea Ashe drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the 10th inning, and East Stroudsburg University survived the Golden Bears' comeback bid for a 6-5 win in the second game to earn a doubleheader split at No. 21 Kutztown in PSAC East softball on Saturday afternoon.

Kaitlin Arbogast fired a two-hit shutout in Kutztown's 2-0 win in the opener before the nightcap went to extra innings. Nicole Henninger's two-run homer in the fourth inning provided the only offense as Arbogast struck out nine and faced just two batters over the minimum.

The second game was tied 1-1 before both teams scored two runs in the seventh. Kutztown took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Henninger, while the Warriors responded quickly when Ashe homered to lead off the top of the second. Ashe has seven home runs this season, tied for second in school history.

ESU (13-14, 3-1) threatened in the third and Kutztown (24-9, 4-2) put two runners on in the sixth, but the game remained deadlocked into seventh when junior pitcher Caitlin Monahan (3-for-4) hit a two-run home run, her second of the year, to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead.

Kutztown put together a two-out rally to tie the game and nearly won it in the bottom of the inning. Maria Schiavo had an RBI double and scored on a pinch-hit single by Sarah Couch, and the Golden Bears proceeded to load the bases with a single and an intentional walk to Henninger before Monahan struck out Brianna Knipe to end the inning.

Both teams went down in order in the eighth; ESU took advantage of an error and loaded the bases but didn't score and Kutztown was unable to capitalize on a one-out single in the ninth.

The Warriors scored three unearned runs in the 10th with the international tiebreaker (runner on 2nd) in effect. Ashe drove in junior SS Jamie Fisher, who was bunted to third by sophomore 3B Rachel Gieringer, and scored on an error after a double by senior C Kara Darcey. Sophomore 1B Brittany Zanzalari followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Darcey for a 6-3 lead.

Kutztown scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to close the margin to 6-5 on a two-out double by Krista Tedjeske, but senior Jackie Battaglino relieved Monahan and got a lineout to sophomore SS Pam Sellers to strand the tying run on second.

Monahan (9.2 innings, 10 hits, four earned runs) and Kutztown's Monica Glomb (10 innings, nine hits, three earned runs) dualed in the circle for most of the afternoon and both faced 43 batters before Battaglino entered to earn her second save of the season and fifth of her career to extend her school record.

Battaglino threw a complete game in the opener, allowing three hits and two walks and striking out two in 6.0 innings of work.

ESU is back in action on Sunday with a doubleheader against West Chester at 1 p.m. at Whitenight Field. The Warriors and Golden Rams (18-6, 3-1) enter their first meeting of the year tied for the top spot in the PSAC East standings.