Box Scores
W 2-1 / L 7-0

EAST STROUDSBURG – Senior Jackie Battaglino outdueled Kutztown ace Kaitlin Arbogast for a 2-1 win in the opening game of a doubleheader as East Stroudsburg University clinched its fourth straight appearance in the PSAC softball tournament on Friday afternoon.

The Warriors' victory, combined with Millersville's split at Shippensburg, gives them the No. 3 seed in the PSAC East going into next weekend's round-robin semifinals. California (Pa.), the top seed in the PSAC West, will host ESU and IUP (No. 2 in PSAC Central).

ESU is 18-25 on the season, 6-8 in the PSAC East, and travels to Shippensburg on Saturday to wrap up the PSAC East regular season schedule. West Chester (28-12, 11-3) and Kutztown (34-13, 12-4) will be the top two seeds in the division in the three-site semifinal format, with three of the five teams in each of the PSAC's three divisions qualifying for the postseason.

Kutztown won the second game of Friday's doubleheader, 7-0, behind a three-hit shutout by Monica Glomb and an 11-hit attack that scored all seven runs over the final four innings.

Battaglino scattered six hits in her 19th complete game of the season as she improved to 11-13. Arbogast (21-7) struck out 10, gave up seven hits and didn't allow an earned run in taking the loss.

Kutztown got on the board in the first inning when Nicole Colineri singled and scored on a double by Katie Lynch, but was unable to break through again off Battaglino.

Battaglino singled to start ESU's two-run second and scored on a bunt single by senior RF Kara Darcey. Junior C Samantha Capriotti reached on an error earlier in the inning and came home on an RBI groundout by sophomore 1B Brittany Zanzalari that gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead, and neither team dented the scoreboard the rest of the game despite putting a runner on base every half inning.

Battaglino stranded eight Kutztown base runners on the afternoon, none more important than two in the seventh when Maria Isgro led off with a double and Jennifer Stow laid down a bunt single with the top of the order coming up.

Schiavo grounded out to second for the first out of the inning, Colineri popped up to the catcher and Lynch flew out to junior CF Alicea Ashe to end the threat. Schiavo, Colineri and Lynch were 4-for-7 entering the seventh.

Darcey had two hits and moved into ESU's career top 10 with 129 hits. Battaglino and junior 2B Jamie Fisher also had two-hit games for the Warriors.

In the second game, Glomb and ESU junior Caitlin Monahan put up zeroes through the first three innings before Kutztown took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the fourth and scored four runs on five hits in the fifth.

Glomb struck out seven and faced just three batters over the minimum for KU in the circle. Monahan was tagged for 10 hits over the final four innings, struck out six and walked two.