KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University softball team scored four runs on five hits in the first inning to lift the fourth-seeded Warriors past one-seeded Kutztown by a score of 6-2 in an elimination game at the NCAA Atlantic Regional.
The Warriors, who lost their previous four meetings to the Golden Bears, advance to face West Liberty in another elimination game at 3 p.m. from North Campus Field. The winner will move on to play West Chester tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the championship game.
Marah Range picked up her 15th win of the season in the circle after firing 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on two hits.
Leigh Ann Jenkins came on to relive Range in the bottom of the fifth to record her first save of the season.
Offensively,
Reilly Vicendese, Sophia Cecchin,
Morgan Walsh, and
Marissa Govan each recorded two hits for ESU.
Five different Warriors registered at least one RBI led by
Ashley Spencer with two while Cecchin, Walsh,
Kaitlin Houser and
Lexi Wright each had one.
The Warriors raced out to 4-0 lead on five straight hits to the open the game in the top of the first inning.
Molly Nies got the hit parade started before Vicendese followed with a base knock of her own. Cecchin then delivered a base hit to right field to score Nies and Walsh singled to the same spot to plate VIcendese for the Warriors first two runs of the game.
With runners on second and third,
Ashley Spencer dropped down a bunt that resulted in an infield single which allowed Cecchin to score. After Spencer stole second, Kaitlyn Houser recorded an RBI ground out that pushed home pinch runner
Nicole Klass to make the score 4-0.
Through the first four innings, Range allowed just two base runners on a pair of walks, but the Golden Bears recorded a one-out base knock in the bottom of the fifth for their first hit of the game.
The Warriors added an insurance run on two hits in the top of the sixth inning to extend their advantage to 5-0. Houser got the rally started with a one-out single before Govan delivered a base knock and Seivard walked to load the bases. With
Lexi Wright due up, the junior delivered an infield single to score House for the Warriors' fifth run of the game.
Kutztown responded with two runs on three hits in the bottom half of the inning to cut the Warriors advantage to three runs.
ESU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to make the score 6-2. The Warriors had runners on second and third after base hits from Vicendese and Walsh to set up
Ashley Spencer, who recorded an infield single to plate Vicendese.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Golden Bears had runners on second and third with two outs, but Jenkins recorded a fly out to close out the game.
