EAST STROUDSBURG -- The East Stroudsburg University softball team continued its strong play to begin the season on Tuesday at The Spring Games, outscoring Wheeling and Chestnut Hill by a combined score of 17-0 to improve to 8-1 on the season.

The Warriors (8-1) shutout Wheeling (6-4), 9-0 in six innings, while ESU no-hit Chestnut Hill (0-5) in five innings in an 8-0 victory.

Notables

• ESU was led offensively by Ashley Spencer (4-5), who provided four hits inlcuing a double along with producing four RBIs. Katherine Donaghue (3-4) registered three hits, including two doubles along with collecting an RBI.
• Sofia Cecchin and Rachel Seiverd accounted for a pair of RBIs, while Lexi Wright Brooke McKeown and Gianna Coyle each drove in a run.
• The Warriors starred in the circle, with Morgan Chapman (2-0, 5.0 IP, three strikeouts), Paige Zigmund (3-0 3.0 IP, four strikeouts 0 hits allowed), Mickayla Grow (1.0 IP), Katie Zaun (1 IP, three strikeouts) and Leigh Ann Jenkins (1.0 IP) combining to allow just six hits and struck out 12 without surrendering a walk in 11 innings on the day. ESU lowered its ERA to an impressive 1.81 on the season.
• ESU's pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Chestnut Hill in game two, as Zigmund, Zaun and Jenkins combined to allow zero hits and struck out nine of the 17 batters faced. ESU allowed baserunners via a hit by pitch choice and an error. The ESU no-hitter is the second this season (first one was the first perfect game in ESU history on Feb. 23 against Saint Thomas Aquinas) and the seventh overall since 1976.

How it Happened - vs. Wheeling

• The Warriors struck first in its first at bats of the game, as McKeown led off the contest with a triple and would cross the plate along with Nies on an RBI double off the bat of Cecchin. The Warriors led 2-0 after the first inning.
• The Warriors doubled their lead to 4-0 in the third inning, with an Ashley Spencer two-out RBI single.
• With Chapman continuing her strong performance in the circle, ESU tacked on an addition run, with McKeown driving in Abigail Weirich on a groundout. The Warriors led 5-0 after the fourth frame.
• ESU added three additional runs in the top of the 6th, extending its advantage to 9-0. ESU posted runs on an error, fielder's choice, another error and a double steal, taking a 9-0 lead.
• Needing at least two runs to extend the game to the seventh inning, the Cardinals could not muster its first run of the game in the bottom of the 6th. After allowing a single, Grow shutdown the Cardinals with a flyout, fielder's choice and another ground out to seal ESU's seventh win of the season.

• After Zigmund hit the second batter she faced, she settled and got the remaining two outs. Spencer came up clutch in the bottom half of the first inning, singling home Cecchin and Nies, as ESU took a quick 2-0 lead.
• The Warriors padded its lead and took full control of the game with a four-run two-hit, two error inning in the bottom of the 3rd. Vicendese scored on an error, Seiverd delivered a two RBI single and would come home to score on an error later in the inning. ESU held a 6-0 lead after three frames.
• Zaun struc kout the three batters she faced, all swinging in the bottom of the 4th.
• In the bottom of the 5th, ESU eclipsed the 8-run rule threshold, as Donaghue smacked an RBI single and Wright ended the game with an RBI double to score pinch-runner Madison Chapman.

Up Next

• After a day off of games Wednesday, the Warriors are back at it on Thursday at The Spring Games against Upper Iowa (2:30 p.m.) and Walsh (4:45 p.m.).