Box Scores
L 19-4 (6 inn.)
L 4-1

Photo Gallery (Senior Day)

EAST STROUDSBURG – Visiting West Chester scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning for a 4-1 win in the second game of a doubleheader sweep of East Stroudsburg University in PSAC East softball on Friday afternoon at Zimbar Field.

The Warriors recognized their five seniors – Rachel Gieringer, Alex Schubert, Pam Sellers, Brandi Stettler and Brittany Zanzalari – between games. Junior pitcher Jessica Ras, a member of the recruiting class who was diagnosed with Leukemia shortly after arriving at ESU and underwent a double hip replacement last summer, made her career debut for the Warriors as the starting pitcher in game one.

Schubert was 3-for-3 with three RBI in the opener, but ESU managed just one other hit in a 19-4 (6 inn.) loss. West Chester scored four runs in the third, five in the fourth and eight in the sixth to pull away. The 19 runs are the most allowed by ESU and one more than an 18-10 (6 inn.) loss at Mansfield on March 31.

Ras got two outs in the first inning before being relieved by freshman Taylor Webb. After a walk and a steal by leadoff hitter Charlotte Conaway, she got a groundout by Jessica Norris for the first out. Kelly Anderson hit an RBI double and Ras got a popup to Stettler at second by Nicole Cruts for the second out before Jessica Schuck singled, with Anderson scoring on the play. Webb came on to get a groundout by Jillian Murray to end the inning.

Two-run homers by Cruts and Murray gave West Chester a 6-0 lead in the top of the third before ESU scored three runs in the bottom half. Leadoff walks by freshman OF Kasey Meckes and freshman OF Kacie Killeen and a one-out hit by pitch by freshman 3B Jamie Smith loaded the bases. Gieringer had an RBI groundout and Schubert hit a two-run single to get the Warriors within 6-3.

The Golden Rams (28-23, 7-9 PSAC) responded with five runs in the top of the fourth, capped by a two-run homer by Abby Block. ESU got one run back in the fifth when Schubert's RBI double scored Smith, who hit a one-out single.

WCU took an 11-4 lead into the sixth and added eight runs in the frame on six hits and an ESU error, which led to seven unearned runs. Two-run singles by Erin Whitman, Anderson and Brianna Rowlands were the big hits in the inning.

Devon Utterback improved to 14-11 with a complete game win for West Chester. Ras (0.2 IP), Webb (3.0 IP) and freshman Marianne Wright (2.1 IP) handled the pitching duties for ESU.

In game two, an RBI single by Schubert with one out in the sixth inning tied the game before West Chester won it in the seventh. Schubert was 5-for-6 in the doubleheader and drove in Gieringer, who hit a double with the Warriors down to their last two outs.

West Chester took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI double by Murray. Utterback was relieved in the third inning by Kate Skokowski, who went the last 4.2 innings to earn the win.

Sophomore Amanda McKay got the start for ESU and allowed just one run on three hits in 4.0 innings. Freshman Shaylyn Wood stranded three runners on base in the fifth and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, but a hit batter, single and the go-ahead two-run triple by Conaway put West Chester in front.

ESU had seven hits off Utterback and Skokowski, including two-hit games by Smith and Schubert. Gieringer, Stettler and freshman OF Cara Woods also had hits.

ESU (12-27, 5-9) still has an outside shot at securing one of the three playoff berths from the PSAC East, but faces an uphill battle with a trip to No. 5-ranked Kutztown (41-2, 13-1) on Saturday for its final action of the regular season. West Chester is 7-9 in the division, Shippensburg is 6-8 after handing Kutztown just its second loss of the season with a 1-0 shutout on Friday and ESU and Millersville are both 5-9. Shippensburg is at Millersville on Saturday.