KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University softball team split a pair of games on Wednesday to stay alive in the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Kutztown's North Campus Field. The Warriors dropped the opener, 7-0, to West Liberty before responding with a 5-1 win over Claflin to close out the day.

ESU (27-15) will have an off day on Thursday before playing the winner of tomorrow's elimination game on Friday at 12:30 p.m. Please be sure check out the website and our Twitter @ESUWarriors for the latest updates.

After getting no hit by the fifth seeded Hilltoppers in their first game, the Warriors responded with five runs on seven hits to knock the sixth seeded Panthers out of the NCAA Tournament.

Freshman third baseman Reilly Vicendese and senior Sofia Cecchin paced the ESU offense by combining to go 5-for-5 with four stolen bases and two runs scored.

Freshman Kaitlin Houser and junior Rachel Seiverd each recorded an RBI for the Warriors.

Redshirt junior right handed pitcher Leigh Ann Jenkins (8-6) earned the victory in game two after firing her fourth complete game of the season. Jenkins allowed just one run on six hits and strike out five Panthers.
  GAME ONE

West Liberty jumped out to an early lead and used two different pitchers to no hit ESU to earn a 7-0 victory in the first game of the Atlantic Regional.

The Hilltoppers wasted no time getting on the board as they raced out to a 2-0 lead on three hits in the top of the first inning. Annie Patterson delivered a one-out double to right center field that plated a pair.

Over a scoreless next three innings, ESU starter Marah Range yielded just two hits to the Hilltoppers while the Warriors lone baserunner of the game came on error by the third baseman that allowed Sophia Cecchin to reach.

The Hilltoppers would go on to extend their advantage to 5-0 on back-to-back home runs in the top of the fifth inning. The first was a two-run blast off the bat of Allie Cook to right field, followed by a solo shot from Katie Beeman that landed in nearly the same spot.

West Liberty opened up the top of the sixth inning with consecutive doubles from Sidney Little and Laral Saunders to push the score to 6-0. The Warriors would then get a pair of ground ball outs which ultimately allowed Saunders to advance home to give the Hilltoppers a seven run lead.

Makenzie Amend earned the win for West Liberty after firing 6.0 hitless innings and striking out 10. Range was handed the loss for ESU after surrendering five runs on eight hits and punching out a pair in 4.1 innings of work.   GAME TWO

After grabbing the lead with one run in the bottom of the first inning, ESU would score four more times the rest of way to earn the 5-1 victory over Clafin in their second game of the day.

Jenkins picked up her eighth win of the season after pitching a complete game in which she only allowed one run on six hits while punching out five.

The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first when Vicendese came around to score on a throwing error by Claflin's catcher. The freshman delivered a two-out single before advancing to second on a stolen base. Then on Vicendese's successful steal at third, the ball trickled down the left field line allowing her to race home.

ESU extended their advantage in the bottom half of the second on a sacrifice bunt from Sieverd that permitted Cecchin to come home. Cecchin got in scoring position after leading off the inning with a single before moving to second a stolen base and then to third on a sacrifice from Kaitlin Houser.

In the top of the third inning, the Panthers would pull within one run an infield single from Jaelyn Jackson that pushed home Mercedes Howze. Howze began the inning with an infield single before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Camryn Hollis.

The Warriors then took advantage of an error by the Panthers in the bottom of the fourth inning to plate a pair and make the score 4-1. With MacKenzie Lewis on second and Cecchin on first, Houser delivered a single up the middle to score Lewis and a throwing mistake by Claflin's pitcher allowed Cecchin to come around and score.

ESU added an insurance run in the home half of the fifth when Vicendese produced her third base knock of the game to plate Arner and make the score 5-1. Arner began the frame with a single before moving to second on a stolen base and then to home on Vicendese's single as the Panther's left fielder made an error.

In their final at-bats, Clafin had runners on first and second with only one out but Jenkins got the next two Panthers' hitters to ground out and fly out for the final outs of the game. The Warriors are back in action at North Campus Field on Friday at 12:30 p.m. with an opponent still to be determined.