Box Scores
L 13-10
L 8-0 (6 inn.)

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EAST STROUDSBURG – Kutztown held off East Stroudsburg University for a 13-10 win in the opener, then won the second game 8-0 (6 inn.) to take both ends of Friday's PSAC East softball doubleheader in the Warriors' final home action of 2013 at Zimbar Field.

ESU battled back from a 7-1 deficit to get within 8-7 through three innings, but the Golden Bears (25-21, 9-7) were able to hold on as they clinched the PSAC East's third and final seed in next week's PSAC Tournament.

Mary Kociencki, the winning pitcher in relief in game one for Kutztown, threw a complete game four-hitter in the nightcap and the Golden Bears scored three in the first, three in the third and two in the sixth.

ESU (18-18, 4-10) was led by freshman SS Haley Thomas, who was 5-for-6 in the doubleheader, including 4-for-4 with a double, triple and five RBI in the opener.

Junior catcher Rebecca Smith was 3-for-6 with a double and will take a .354 batting average into the final doubleheader of the season on Saturday at Shippensburg. She has hit safely in eight games after recording an 11-game hitting streak earlier in the season. The Warriors can secure their first season with at least a .500 record since 2007 with a victory over the Lady Raiders.

Game 1

Both teams scored in each of the first three innings for a wild start to Friday's doubleheader. Kutztown scored three in the first and four in the second for a 7-1 lead, then ESU scored two in the second and four in the third to close the margin to 8-7.

After a pair of scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, Kutztown scored five in the top of the sixth to take a 13-7 lead. ESU scored two in the bottom of the sixth and another in the seventh.

It was ESU's first PSAC East game with both teams scoring at least 10 runs since Kutztown won, 17-10, in the second game of a doubleheader in 2009 at Zimbar Field.

The Warriors had 13 hits, including four from Thomas – ESU's second four-hit game of the year. Sophomore OF Kasey Meckes, who had four hits at Chestnut Hill on March 9, was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run, Smith was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs and freshman OF Sierra Wagner was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run. Freshman 3B Kellie Mignoli was 1-for-2 and scored three runs.

Nicole Henninger was 4-for-5 with hits in her first four at bats, and leadoff hitter Jackie Hetzler was 3-for-6 with two runs to lead the Kutztown offense, which had 14 hits. Kociencki (4.2 IP, 4 earned runs) was the winning pitcher in relief of Dominique Ficara (2.1 IP, 5 runs).

ESU got on the board on an RBI single by Meckes in the first, then Thomas had an RBI triple and scored on a groundout by Wagner in the second to get the Warriors within 7-3.

In the Warriors' four-run third, Smith led off with a double and scored on a base hit by Meckes. Sophomore OF Cara Woods was hit by a pitch and Mignoli walked to load the bases for Thomas, who belted a three-run, two-out double to make the score 8-7.

Kutztown stranded two runners in the fourth and one in the fifth, but scored five runs on three hits and an ESU error in the sixth inning.

ESU got two runs back in the bottom of the inning as Thomas hit a leadoff single and scored on an RBI double by Wagner, who stole third and scored on a single by Smith.

In the seventh, Thomas added a two-out RBI single to bring home Mignoli.

Game 2

Kutztown scored three runs on five hits in the first, including a two-run double by Maria Isgro, to get on the board. Isgro also had an RBI double in a three-run third, and Lindsey Kelley and Katie Lynch added solo homers in the sixth for the Golden Bears.

ESU managed singles by Smith, Meckes, Mignoli and Thomas off of Kociencki, who improved to 11-9 on the season.


Game Notes

* Smith has a .646 slugging percentage entering Saturday, the second-highest in school history. Brittany Racek had a .691 slugging percentage in 2010.

* Smith is also tied for second with 18 extra-base hits on 10 doubles, one triple and seven home runs. Jen Veronesi holds the school record with 24 in 2006.

* So. 1B Cara McNeil had a career-best nine-game hitting streak come to an end in game two. Her longest hitting streak as a sophomore was four games.