KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University softball had a heartbreaking finish to their season as they fell to West Chester, 2-1, in the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship on Saturday at Kutztown's North Campus Field.

With the game tied at 1-1 headed into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Golden Rams were able to score the game-winning run with two outs after the Warriors committed a throwing error.

Despite being handed the loss, senior Marah Range was brilliant in the circle over 6.2 innings of work as she allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out one.

Freshman Reilly Vicendese provided ESU with their lone run of the afternoon in the top of the first winning when she belted a solo home run, the first of career.

Molly Nies, Morgan Walsh, Kaitlin Houser and Marissa Govan also recorded hits for the Warriors.

The Warriors grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Vicendese delivered a one-out solo shot to left field.

After West Chester was held without a run through the first two inning, the Golden Rams would answer with one run on three hits in the bottom of third to even the score at 1-1. The Golden Rams stringed together three straight two-out base hits to tie the game.  

Over the next three innings, both the Warriors and Golden Rams left a total of two runners on base a piece but neither team threatened to take the lead.

With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, the Warriors got back-to-back base hits from Houser and Govan to create a scoring chance, but a strikeout ended the threat.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Golden Rams got their leadoff hitter aboard on a single before the Warriors recorded the next two outs. Then on a groundball that looked to be the final out of the inning, ESU committed a throwing error that allowed Annamarie Hartman to race home for the winning run.

2021 will go down as one of the most successful seasons in program history for the Warriors. ESU's 29 wins are tied for the most in program history. The Warriors shattered its home wins record, posting 20 victories in 24 games at Creekview Park. ESU also set a record for most conference wins in a season with 17.

ESU did not lose a single PSAC East series throughout the regular season and posted a 9-1 record during non-conference action. The Warriors could never be counted out of a game, earning 10 come-from-behind victories. On the base paths, ESU finishes the year ranked second in all of Division II with 133 stolen bases.